Rae Artemis Is Crazy
by Rae Artemis
Summary: The title is true. These are in no particular order, I will let you know in AN's for each chapter. More to come, yes that is a threat, evil laugh, please R&R.
1. Lakeside Inspirations

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: Hey, there to all people reading this fic, I don't know if it is a 'crack' fic or what but it was fun to write this one so I did. I do plan to do others in the same vein or rather the same story line or whatever you may call this. I was driving by a lake and this idea hit me so hard I had to stop and write, I wrote until my laptop battery died two hours later! Call me crazy but it was fun! So I plan to write more of these, if anyone wants their pen name to be put in, message me with your name and if you want your story mentioned that too and I will try and put it in. This is just a fun fic, so no worries nothing is meant to be offensive or anything so chill and enjoy the madness. This is the first of the Rae Artemis Is Crazy series.

Beta'd: As usual by the gracious morning sunlight.

Good writing to everyone

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Lakeside Inspiration

A lone figure sat on the table, a deserted park picnic table on shores of a dark lake in the moonlight; smoke wafting from a flavoured miniature cigar, vanilla. Quiet muttering broke the utter silence of the night, the lake perfectly still reflecting the full moon. The one-sided argument was disjointed and sounded much harassed though there was only one person in it.

"Write dammit, write!" The girl slammed the palm of her hand against her forehead, trying to free the thoughts stuck in her mind. She placed the baby cigar on the table beside the Mac laptop, which leaked music softly into the night.

"Gorammit, why is it I can only write when I don't sleep? I never should have slept! If I hadn't been sleeping last night I would be writing now!" She shivered as the wind lazily stirred through the trees, gently but insistently blowing her hair in her eyes. She slammed her laptop shut cutting off the music and growled in frustration.

"Screw off wind! Geez, why can't I ever write during the day, when it's nice and sunny!" She called out to the wind as it began to pick up, cooling the night around her.

"Okay not fair at all, I finally get some time off of work and I get writer's block, where is the justice?" She sighed tying back her hair and opening the laptop to see the terrifyingly blank paper on it. She rubbed her hands together trying to warm them and find inspiration all at once.

"What do you want from me? Morning Sunlight said chocolate, old episodes, and chilling out. I did two out of three, what else do you want you damnable muses? Blood? Money?" She cried out to the very still lake, startling some sleeping Canadian geese who honked at her to be quiet. Picking up the cigar back up, she saw how it had smouldered to an early death; she picked a new one out of her bag, chocolate mint this time. She lit the cigar temporarily losing her night sight with the flare of the lighter so close to her eyes.

Two figures appeared to materialize in the shadowy tree line, both walking carefully so as not to alert her to their approach. As the shorter of the two came up behind her, he motioned the other one to be silent; this was going to be fun.

"Why do you smoke those? I mean it's not like you inhale or anything, so why?" He asked over her right shoulder, causing her to jump in alarm.

"Hellfire! Don't do that!" She scolded him, slapping him on the arm as he came around the table settling himself beside her, his taller companion following him. Both were smiling widely and the taller one shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

"Yeah, Sam you should be sorry! You know how freaked out I get here by myself at night!"

"Then don't write here, but back to my question, why do you smoke those Rae? What do you get out of it?" Dean asked quirking an eyebrow at her.

"If you must know it is just…I don't know…it kind helps the writing process, but it is bad for you which is why I don't inhale as you said. Anyway this covers two of the three things Morning Sunlight told me to do. It covers chocolate and chilling out all in one!"

"I'm sure she didn't want you to smoke! It is still unhealthy to smoke them period, mouth and tongue cancer and they're kinda gross." Sam piped up, sitting on the bench part, while Dean sat beside Rae on the top of the table.

"Thanks for the concern boys but I am a big girl, I am old enough to smoke, drink and vote! Yea independence! You keep this up Sam, and Dean won't be the only one getting his ass kicked in my next story."

"What? Why am I getting my 'ass kicked' as if that were possible? What did I do?" He tried an innocent look on her, which Rae met with a raised eyebrow and calculating look.

"Well you scared the hell outta me and you're bugging me about the cigars again, we went through this last time remember? My lungs, my call!"

"Sure. Fine. Whatever! I just don't want you dying or anything because otherwise every other fic on that site will have me dead okay? Geez show a little compassion and what do ya get?"

"Ignore him." Sam offered, not wanting to get beaten up in her next story.

"Always do." Rae responded making Sam grin and Dean mutter about them teaming up against him.

"So why are we here? I thought we were still in Brentwood Bay, working out that whole faerie magic thing with the Bestes?" Sam asked as Dean continued to sulk, arms folded over his chest.

"You are, or rather you were or…how does this whole thing work anyway?" Rae asked confused.

"Don't ask us we're just fictional characters, who you're obsessed with." Dean grumbled, no longer worried about the next story, at least not enough to stop teasing. Rae couldn't write death fics so he didn't mind getting beat up a little if it meant he could tease her, Sam could only take so much before he began asking why Dean was hostile and other Oprah like things, whereas Rae would just kick his ass in a story.

"Seriously Dean, next fic I will put you in a coma with only a male nurse to take care of you if you keep that up!" Rae threatened unconvincingly reaching towards the laptop to emphasize it. His smug smile faltered a little. She lit up another cigar, fighting the urge to blow a puff of smoke in his face.

"Rae you've gotta admit that you're more than a casual fan." Sam said diplomatically, hands up to show he meant no offence.

"Fine 'interested' but NOT obsessed…much." She conceded grudgingly, staring at the blank page on her laptop. "ANYWAY, point is…I'm stuck, I don't know what to write next, what to do, who to kill or mess with or anything. I am completely at a loss!" Rae shut the laptop to try and save power and get her frustrated point across. The wind began to pick up and the geese at the lake's edge honked in protest.

Both Winchesters looked at her slightly dumbfounded, they dealt with a lot of writers, being the fictional characters of a show that had left many fans wanting more from the season finale. Many fans had found and were typing away with their own ideas and conclusions, but very few had actually invited the boys to put in their own two cents. There were so few who were willing to let go of 'reality' and listen to the boys, though the number had begun to grow. Sam and Dean would be able to 'look in' on people writing about them but it was hard to influence people when they don't know you're there. The brothers enjoyed the relationship they had with Rae and the idea she might give up was unthinkable, it had been nice to control what happened to their lives, neither was willing to lose that.

"Rae, all writers go through dry spells, this will pass." Sam assured her calmly.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like you're giving up right?" Dean asked jokingly, sure it wasn't possible for her to him up. "I mean I can see that if it was just Sammy, but come on put me in that equation and it doesn't work." Rae continued staring at her hands in silence. "No you can't be giving up!"

"Well…it is just hard to write right now, and nobody except others on the site really get it, and…and it is just difficult to try and post when so many writers on the site are way better and…" She trailed off embarrassed at her outburst, looking up at Sam and Dean wanting for them to understand she wasn't giving up on them, just the writing. Rae turned away from their eyes and looked out at the lake, which had calmed from the wind, as had she after her rant.

"Well that was fun now, wasn't it?" She said sardonically turning back to her jury of two. "I guess you've seen me worse than that huh?" Rae smiled as a few memories of past hissy fits came back to her.

"Yeah, let's see there was that time that you wrote the story about the ICU and your sister read it and pointed out all the inconsistencies and you…" Dean began, a relieved smile on his face, and a teasing gleam in his eyes.

"Two words, male nurse." Rae said flatly, opening up the laptop again sitting back down at the table beside Dean, not looking at him for fear of smiling. "Well Sam do you have any ideas?" She looked down at the younger Winchester, and saw that his eyes held relief too.

"I really liked 'The Appointment' until the end that is. Why don't I ever get the girls?" He asked smiling as Dean made a face.

"Because you're my faithful, trusty sidekick, Geek Boy and sidekicks don't get the girl."

"In 'Batman and Robin', the sidekick Robin 'got' Batgirl."

"Okay that one, count 'em one time but name another I dare you." Dean dared his younger brother, whose face screwed up in concentration. Rae too tried to think of one such occasion but couldn't.

"See the hero always gets the girl." Dean crowed victoriously, Rae and Sam exchanging eye rolls.

"Okay so Sam next story you get the girl, and Dean…" Rae stopped trying to think of a reason Dean would be the one on the outs.

"Dean gets a bunch of girls?" Dean offered smirking at the thought.

"Dean goes to the dentist." Rae declared, watching the self-proclaimed hero pale visibly. Rae and Sam both burst out laughing at Dean's woeful expression.

Dean jumped off the table and ran to the water's edge chasing the Canadian geese towards Rae and his brother who had to abandon the picnic table as the geese half ran, half flew away from Dean. Rae carefully put the laptop back on the table and joined Sam in chasing Dean, eventually tackling Dean into the sand. The whole writing session degraded from there but Rae's confidence was back and so was the Winchester's faith that, with at least one writer, they never had to worry about losing each other.


	2. Late, Late Night TV

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: This has the mention of some fanfic authors of whom I am a fan, so thanks for the permission to use your names! Also I am not really insane, well I am but I'm not hurting anyone and these are fun to write so I intend to do more. If you want to be mentioned private message me and we'll talk, I like the idea of the fic characters of the boys travelling around meeting with authors.

Beta'd: As usual by the wonderful and paitent morning sunlight.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Late, Late Night TV

"If there is one thing worse than daytime television it is late, late night T.V." Rae groaned as she surfed channels trying to find something decent to watch. Finding nothing she settled on Much Music video flow, just for the calming noise. The blue TV's light illuminated the room, and Rae, in her PJ's, looked ghostly in the flickering light. She shifted in her comfy but ugly green chair and avoided looking at her laptop, the screen saver of Supernatural photos teasing her as the insufferable writer's block continued, again!

The TV flashed onto a commercial for Supernatural and Rae watched cursing in all the languages she knew for the length of the summer and the cliffhanger she'd been dying to see resolved for the last couple of months.

"Such language young lady, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" A voice came from behind her and she fell out of her chair in shock, smashing into the coffee table just before she hit the cement floor.

"Ow, that looked like it hurt." Said another familiar voice, amusement mixed in with genuine sympathy. Rae jumped up and pounced onto both boys, dragging them into a hug that squeezed the air from their surprised lungs.

"Oh Gods! I thought I'd never see you guys again!" She mumbled into the hug, fear evident in her voice.

"Nice to see you too, um how about some air now?" Sam said as he gently pried her arm off.

"Oh sorry. Just, it's been…well you know it's just, I've hit the worst dry spell and I was worried that I was never going to see you guys again." She stood back and took in their appearance, noticing the bruises and stiffness to their movements. Dean grinned at her as he gingerly sat down on the love seat, holding his ribs and with a serious looking splint on his left arm, while Sam was only a little better off though still careful in his movement. "Who decided you guys needed to do some daring heroics this time?"

"Hmmm, it's been a busy day, let's say." Dean said shortly, not wanting to talk about it, still getting over the last death fic they'd been in. Sam gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded as they both agreed not to say anything.

"Fine, make me look for it." Rae said as she snatched up her laptop from beside Sam, who because of his bruises, was slow to move. She signed on to and read the ten most recently posted stories. "Wow, that is a bad day." Rae muttered, looking at the summaries: deathfic, angst, lots of beating the crap out of them fics, not named that of course but the summaries! "Geez, who the Hell did you guys piss off?"

"I don't know but whoever it is, I'm sorry." Dean groaned as he shifted on the loveseat, careful of his broken ribs.

"Yeah, it has been a hard day." Sam said, not looking at Rae or Dean, ashamed of something.

"Geez, Sammy, let it go okay? Everybody loses it at least once or twice, okay. For that matter I'm impressed how quickly you stopped and besides the guy deserved it. He hit my baby, do you know how much it will cost to fix the Impala?" Rae listened to the exchange while searching for the story, which turned out to be Red, by Anna Wolfe. Reading it she saw why Sam was upset and felt bad for Dean because the Impala would take some fixing up. Rae also remembered why Anna Wolfe was one of her favorite authors, the writing was beyond good as per usual.

"That sucks, I mean it is a great story and all but ouch!" Both looked up at her, and she suddenly felt like she'd intruded. "Sorry, but it does suck, please tell me this wasn't your entire day? Someone had to write something non-Hellish."

"Well we dropped by Anna's and talked about the story…well I did the talking, Sammy whined that he would never lose control and bull like that." Dean threw Sam a smug grin.

"I just don't think I'd lose it like that, I mean me lose it? Never happen, right Rae?"

"Everybody freaks out over something Sam and injured family? Who wouldn't go a little sociopathic?" Sam hung his head, a sigh escaping his lips. "Sorry, but I really do think you would but that's because you're brothers and you love ea-" She stopped talking as both Sam and Dean glared at her, both quick to deny the love of family, it wasn't macho or something.

"Me? Love this geek?" "Please he is too annoying!"

"Okay not love but…family bond and stuff like that." She held up her hands in surrender.

"Anyway, point was we dropped by Anna's and she said to say 'hi' to anyone else we saw, so hi. She did say it wasn't easy slamming the car but promised me she'd fix my baby up good as new. After that we-" Dean began only to be cut off by Sam, who leaned forward a conspiratorial glint in his eyes.

"We stopped by Morning Sunlight's and as usual, we swapped story ideas with her. Our timing was a little off though." Sam said, a smile lightening his features as he remembered the look of shock on Morning Sunlight's face when they'd shown up.

"We just felt like seeing what she was up to and forgot about the time change! So we show up and walk right into the room she was in and wouldn't you just know it all these little kids turn and somehow they manage to see us!" Dean chuckled

"What!" Rae clamped a hand over her mouth, belatedly remembering it was 2:00 am and that she had a roommate who would kill her. "I mean what? How? What?"

"Two very good questions. As best as Geek boy can figure it they just aren't jaded yet." He gestured to Sam who shook his head.

"No, that's not it, its just they still know how to 'play pretend' so their minds are more open, um, they haven't had reality completely forced upon them yet, so like a lot of writers they are more willing to allow for weird stuff. Only older people not unlike yourself-"

"For the love of it, twenty three isn't that old!" Rae exploded at him. She had suffered the indignity of having been called 'old' by all of her Pathfinders earlier that day and it had made her just a little tetchy. Rae clamped her mouth shut as she heard movement from her roommate's bedroom. A moment later Adele appeared looking pissed off.

"Rae if you don't shut up so help me God I will kill you. I have to be at work in five hours, working at a hospital where I can get things that would make your death look natural. Understand?" Adele growled out, oblivious to Dean and Sam who'd frozen as soon as she'd entered the room. Noticing that she couldn't see them, Dean flipped her off while Sam gave Dean a dirty look for it.

"Sorry Ads, I promise I'm shutting up now." Rae crossed her heart and tried to look solemn while Dean made faces at Adele, who was looking suspiciously at the love seat as though she could almost see him there.

"Just bloody well keep it down." Adele turned and stalked out of the room, slamming her door for emphasis.

"Isn't she just a ray of sunshine." Dean quipped sarcastically once she'd left; Rae threw a pillow at him.

"She could and possibly would kill me, so let's not give her a reason to okay? And Sam? If I'm old, so are you, and that would make Dean really old."

"And as I'm older than both of you, how about some respect?"

"No." Was the unanimous answer.

"Anyway, we are all not that old, so what were you were saying Sam?" Rae asked dragging back towards the subject.

"Huh? Oh, yeah so, in any case, writers are less in touch with reality and are more often able to see stuff that 'normal' people would look through."

"What the 'professor' here didn't mention is that we ended up telling the kids we were student teachers and were going to be helping out the class for the afternoon, it went fine. We taught them grammar and stuff, it was going great until one of the little girls recognized Sam from a poster her older sister had. After that it kinda snowballed and I got recognized so we spent the rest of the afternoon answering the kids' questions about monsters and so on until school let out. Ended up going back to her place to grab something to eat and discuss story ideas, it was cool." Dean reminisced with a vague smile on his face. "After that it was pretty much downhill what with getting the crap beat out of us every fic and every other fic having one of us die. There are some seriously morbid people out there." He dramatically leaned back throwing his arm across his eyes.

"Hey, we also hung out with P. 'cause ya know she's just great! We showed up and she was actually working on a new story, but took a break to hang out. She's got this great new shirt, it has the police sketches of the Boondock Saints, I thought it was cool. Still can't get over how short she is in person, I mean when someone is writing you get an idea about them from their style but somehow I thought she'd be taller."

"How tall? Like 5'6"? That'd be my call at least." Rae tried to create a mental image from her impressions.

"No, like 5'2". But that's not that short, some people are just freakishly tall." Dean said off-handedly, watching as Sam unconsciously slouched a little.

"You're just annoyed that she took you down with Lady Luck." Rae and Sam both watched as Dean's eye twitched at the mention of the name.

"Shhhh! Don't say that name, you might attract her or something and…while she is a beautiful and talented woman I don't want to take up her valuable time." He glanced around the room, smiling nervously.

"Anyway we got to talking about favorite movies and stuff and I think we yammered on about Boondock for an hour, but that movie is just brilliant. I love the mob mentality at the end!"

"I like the bit with the cat, 'Is it dead?' Cracks me up every time." Dean said in good spirits as he remembered the poor cat.

"No way the best part is the whole bit between the detective and Agent Smecker. The bagel bit, too funny for words." Rae said, desperately trying to smother her giggles for fear of her roommate.

"I like the part before the credits with the public opinion, that was brilliant." Sam said putting in his two cents. "We were actually going to watch it but it got really late and she had to work so we decided to come see what you were up to."

"Oh, what's she working on?" Rae pounced with the question hoping to get a preview of what was coming next.

"Well, right now, she's working on Hangman and it's going pretty well." Dean and Sam exchanged a secret brotherly glance.

"Details man, I need details!" Rae leaned forward, trying desperately not to wring the information out of Sam.

"We don't kiss and tell." Dean said from behind her, smiling smugly as she threw him a dark look. "Okay, I might be the one kissing and telling, but the writers code can't be broken. What? Would you want us to tell people what you're planning?"

"No, I guess not." She sighed defeated. "I don't even get a clue?"

"Nope." The brothers chorused.

"Since you guys have had such a hard day, I'll be nice and do a fluff fic if not for the bad day though…" Rae trailed off unable to think of a good threat, nothing could scare them after the day they'd had. "How did you guys know I'd be awake anyway? I could have been sleeping, it is…wow its 2:30."

"Rae, hmm, how do I put this…" Sam began, trying to be diplomatic.

"You are weird." Dean stated flatly.

"How's that?"

"You don't sleep at night, ever. That's how we knew we could drop by. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a vampire."

"Pains me to say this Rae, but he's right. You are a night person, and you don't sleep so you're a sure bet." Sam said shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

"Let's just stop there before I am forced to write a mean fic or something, okay?" Rae said, non-plussed to be considered that predictable. "So are you hungry?"

"When isn't he?" Sam asked, helping Dean up and gestured for Rae to lead the way.

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

"So pizza?" Rae asked after the moment of brotherly affections, they could insult each other but not say the 'L' word? Dean and Sam were both grinning as they eagerly followed her to the kitchen. "Maybe you guys can give me a couple ideas over some nice hot pizza and cold beer."

"Hey Rae?"

"Yeah Dean?"

"Nice PJ's." Rae felt a strong blush crawling up her neck.

"Shut up Dean."


	3. First Impressions

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: Here is yet another installment in my insanity series, this is the first 'meeting' of Rae and the boys, kinda funny I think. I wrote it so I'm biased but let me know what you all think.

Beta'd by the wonderful chocolatejet, who even wrote the email credited to her in the story! Talk about a full service beta, eh?

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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First Impressions

"HELLO!" Dean bellowed into the unresponsive girl's ear. "Hey! Hey you, can you hear me? Sam, I thought you said she would listen to us?"

"I thought I saw her notice me the other day and I'm sure she noticed you earlier today. I swear Dean she just needs to be pushed a little further and she'll notice us." Sam sidestepped as the brunette walked past him, singing quietly to herself. "I don't know Dean, I really thought she'd see us this time."

The Winchester brothers stared at Rae Artemis, as she cranked up the volume on the movie she was watching, staring determinedly at it. As 'Doom' continued she tried to get into the movie but their chatter kept distracting her. Dean kept pestering her and waving his hand in front of her face and stealing popcorn from the big green bowl on her lap; it took all her self-control not to smack him good and hard. Sam was no better; he kept asking her in a quiet, maddeningly calm voice if she could see him. If he asked her one more time…

"Rae? Rae this is Sam Winchester, can you see or hear me? Just nod if you can, okay?" Sam leaned forward in his chair and watched her intently. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she'll never see us." He flopped back into the chair defeated.

"Or maybe she's just stubborn, hey Sammy?" Dean stole another handful of her popcorn, and ate it thoughtfully, a familiar gleam in his eyes. It was the same look he got when he was pulling pranks on Sam, who winced out of habit. This look meant a trick was going to happen and that wasn't always a good thing. Sam ran his fingers through his hair, unconsciously remembering the Nair incident.

"Dean, what are you going to do?" Sam carefully asked his older brother as he began to slowly move away from Rae.

"Nothing much Sam other than testing a theory you poised when we started visiting writers. You said that depending how much the person 'believes', for lack of a better word, the more we can do."

"Yeah, so if someone were to totally 'let go' of reality they would in effect pull us onto theirs but only to them and others who had also 'let go'. What are you going to do Dean?" Sam asked, dread in his voice, Dean only got thoughtful like this right before the worst hit.

"Just an experiment, college boy, I think you'll like it too." Dean grabbed the huge bowl of popcorn out of Rae's hands and poured it over her head, grinning like a maniac. "Hmm, I think that conclusively proves she does see us and does believe, even if she doesn't want to. Wouldn't you say so Sammy?" Dean turned to Sam, smirking in his triumph. He didn't see Rae picking up the now empty bowl, or her hands as she dropped it on his head.

"I already have a ghost, I don't need two more that are very strong figments of my imagination!" Rae sprinted for her bedroom door, slamming it to the surprise of both Winchesters.

"Well that was unexpected." Sam deadpanned at Dean who was brushing popcorn off his clothes.

"I'll say. If you were to find out I was real wouldn't you be overjoyed?" Sam gave his brother a blank look. "Never mind you don't count, you're family and though you may look like a chick with that long hair, you aren't"

"Hey! I-"

"Resemble that remark, I know. What are you going to do about her?" He jerked his head to the bedroom door, which was leaking out Great Big Sea's 'Let it go', somehow appropriate for the situation.

"Me! Why do I have to 'deal' with anything? It was you who freaked her out, you made the mess, yo-"

"I just proved she can see us, so you go and finish the job. That's how we work Sammy, as a team?" Dean began snacking on the unpolluted popcorn and grabbed the remote to the DVD player. "Hey does she have any good movies? Never mind, I found 'em."

Sam stood up and took a steadying breath, Okay she's freaked, and now time to freak her out even more. He squared his shoulders, and took one last look at his brother who was apparently settling in for a long wait. Once more into the breach! Sam thought sarcastically as he knocked on the door, fairly sure she wouldn't hear it.

"Rae? It's Sam, um, can we talk?" Sam asked, mentally kicking himself for the uninspired opening line. "Rae, seriously I just wanna talk. I'll leave Dean out here, okay?" Still getting no response, Sam slowly opened the door, what he saw surprised him a little.

Rae sat calmly on her bed, her computer in front of her surfing the Internet, the music blaring from a small stereo in the corner. Rae rocked a little as she typed and was singing desperately under her breath but other than that she appeared fairly calm.

"Rae?" Sam called to her but she either couldn't hear him or was ignoring him. Sam turned down the stereo to just mildly deafening and sat down on the furthest corner of the bed from Rae. "Um, Rae? Are you okay? I don't want to scare you but I think you should probably talk to someone right now and since I'm here…" He let his voice trail off, the typing continuing, unhindered by the vocal interruption. "Rae? Can you hear me?" Her head snapped up and the typing ceased, a slightly maniacal look gleaming in her eyes.

"Yes, I can hear you 'Sam', and yes, I am fine. So you and 'Dean' should probably go now, my roommate will be back soon and she is kind of antisocial." She shook slightly as she fought to maintain eye contact with him, this figment of her obviously over active imagination. Sure she'd wondered what would it be like to talk to these guys but never in her life had she thought her mind would snap and she'd become delusional enough to 'find out'.

"I get the feeling it might be a bad thing to leave you alone right now, so why don't we talk for a little while, and then me and Dean will leave. Does that sound okay?" Sam spoke in a soothing voice, the same voice you would use with a jumper on a ledge. Calm, relaxing, just come back in the window and we'll talk, kind of voice.

"Nope, I'm fine, really. Just checking for signs of mental deterioration, and all that. You know, regular Friday night fun stuff." She grinned slowly, insanity building up behind her eyes, threatening to burst the thin dam of her 'sanity' at any moment.

"Rae I swear you're not crazy, we've met up with other authors who can see us. Um, let's see, there's P., she can see us, so can Anna Wolfe and um, Kat, or you know her as gdspgcfan and so can…hey Dean, who else?" Sam called out the door to Dean, who tore himself away from the movie long enough to throw back a few more names, WinchestersGirl, bjxmas, even morning sunlight and chocolatejet whom Rae had beta'd and been beta'd by. "We've met up with a lot of people and a lot of them have the same reaction as you. Don't freak okay? If you want you can message some people and see that you're not nuts - just tuned into a different mental frequency." Rae took a deep shaking breath and looked at him suspiciously before pulling up her email account,

"So if I email anyone you mentioned they'll say they've talked to you guys and that I'm not nuts?"

"Well it probably depends on how well you know them for the nuts thing but they will say they've spoken with us." Dean drawled as he leaned against the doorway, smiling broadly at his own wit. Sam threw him a dirty look and shook his head as Dean's smile just got bigger.

"Nice, aren't you suppose to let me handle this?"

"Yeah, well you're taking too long and I want to talk to her about this 'Wicked Little Girls' story she's doing." Dean entered the room and Rae scrambled back on the bed, not exactly the reaction she'd imagined would happen if either of the boys were to be in her bedroom. "Geez, it was just a little popcorn, not the end of the world, right?" Dean stopped moving and sat down on the floor, leafing through her CD collection. "Hmm, figured you'd be more death metal and less, whatever you call this." He pulled out 'The Hard And The Easy' by Great Big Sea, which Rae snatched out of his hand before throwing herself back to her end of the bed.

"Dean you're not helping, so why don't you-"

"I call it good music and I am going to email morning sunlight just to prove that I am insane and that you're not real." Rae's fingers flew over the keys and she sent off emails to all the writers she knew on Sam's list.

"Well now what?" Dean asked after ten minutes had gone by.

"We wait." Rae stated firmly, her arms crossed, eyes glued to the computer. A few more moments of uncomfortable silence went by.

"So how is it you guys exist?"

"World wide belief. Different levels of reality. All writers are insane and share a common delusion. Choose one, they all work in theory." Sam offered, his eyes searching her face. She appeared to be calming down. Her breathing had slowed, and she no longer had the jumper on a ledge quality.

"Oh, like in Spider Robinson's 'Callahan's Chronicles', different 'fictions' for time periods and alternate realities. Hmm maybe he really did talk to Jake…" Seeing the blank looks on their faces she realized they'd never read the Callahan Chronicles. "Oh come on! You've never heard of Callahan's or Lady Sally's House? Well it's a series that has time travellers and reality jumpers and they refer to the different ones as 'fictions', it's a great series, all about a bar and a House."

And so she proceeded to fill them in as to the going-ons of Lady Sally's House and Mike Callahan's tavern, all the way to the nuclear destructions of the bar and the closing of the house. By the time she was finished, she was calm, collected and had a number of email replies in her box.

"And drum roll please, the moment of truth." Rae murmured as she opened the first email from chocolatejet backing up the boys' story.

Hey Rae!

As to the question of your mental state, rest assured that you're sane (or as sane as fangirls go, anyway). Your reaction, however, is completely understandable. When the boys first appeared before me, I had to pinch myself four times (Dean added a fifth – the jerk left a bruise) to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Alas, I was far from delirious – the realisation resulting in my passing out. Since then, they've been a royal pain in the ass, hanging over my shoulders as I try to write – constantly bombarding me with questions about alternate realities, and also, the significance of my username (both of which are subjects I refuse to discuss).

God, how I wish I actually was mentally unstable…

xchocolatejetx

She went on to read the others all backing up the fact she wasn't insane or not in a bad way at least.

"Okay I can admit when I'm wrong so I was wrong. There I said it, so what did you want to talk about Dean?"

"Well, just about how I keep getting the whammy put on me while Sam gets whammied in a different way but it's getting early, so next time." He got up from the floor stiffly, brushing off his jeans. "C'mon Sam we agreed to meet P. for breakfast before she goes to work and you promised chocolate rules that we'd drop by and chat stories, and childhood with her, so we gotta run." Dean gave a shrug of his shoulders in apology. "Next time we'll hang out and maybe talk shop. See you later Rae."

"Remember: you're not nuts, just tuned in to a different frequency." Sam smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, we'll be back - we just have stuff to do today. Relax, you'll see us again."

"Okay. 'Bye." Rae gently put her laptop back on her desk and got ready for bed, sure at any moment she'd wake up and find it to be a really strange dream. As she fell asleep, she smiled at the look on Dean's face as the popcorn bowl was dumped on his head. "Served him right." Rae murmured quietly.


	4. Movies, Twizzlers and M&M

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money. Also the movies I mention I would like to take credit for but sadly I'm just a fan of both of them, but owning Connor and Murphy or Lucas and Corey would be cool!

A/N: So this is another in the 'Rae Artemis Is Crazy' series; I was at work when this idea hit me so since it was slow (no one was there) I wrote out a beginning for it, I was literally hiding behind a shelf of movies and thinking about scary movies.

Beta'd: morning sunlight who is managing to beta while on vacation, you're great!

Good writing to everyone

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Movies, Twizzlers and M&M's

"Quit torturing Dean gorammit! Or at least get Sammy too!" Rae sat betaing a story for morning sunlight, muttering as she corrected a couple English/American translations. "The poor boy has had enough beauty sleep, let him wake up from that coma already." She grumbled her fingers flying over the keyboard, stopping as she heard a sound in the store. Rae looked around her, the video store appeared to be empty, the movie 'Rent' playing quietly in the background. It was a Monday night and therefore the slowest night of the week for movie rentals.

"Huh, that's weird." She stood up from her hiding place in the horror section her laptop concealed behind the shelves.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Rae called out tentatively, a quiver in her voice. "Oh that's just brilliant! Quote the most used line in scary movies, this'll turn out well." She growled to herself, shocked at the stupidity of using the line.

"Might as well say 'I'll be right back' or something dumb like that. Hey! Is anyone there or not?" As her gaze roved around the shelves she didn't see anyone but thought she heard whispering. Rae put down her laptop and walked towards the noise, picturing the many movies she'd seen where people died being this dumb.

"Okay it is official, I have gone crazy, totally off the freaking deep end!" Rae threw up her hands and stalked back to her writing area, muttering about the impending loss of her mind.

"Impending? You lost it a long time ago!" A very familiar voice crowed from behind one of the many shelves of videos. Rae rolled her eyes and began searching in earnest; safe in the knowledge the two culprits wouldn't dare do anything serious, she might not write death fics but she knew how to get revenge.

"Oh come on boys, hide and go seek is for kids! 'Sides if you come out I'll let you change the movie." As soon as the offer left her lips Dean's head popped up, a hopeful look on his face, Rae shook her head in disbelief. "What would happen if a demon made you that deal?"

"Probably buy it due to an inability to sit through musicals." He threw over his shoulder with a smile, as he grabbed some snacks off the shelf. "You okay with 'Boondock Saints', Sam?"

"Sure, just skip the cat bit I don't think I could handle it after our last job." Sam grimaced the all too gory details of their last assignment, a grisly mess even if it had just been a demon they'd eviscerated. Sam glanced over at Dean to see if his brother had the same issue with guts at the moment but just as he turned, he saw Dean wolfing down snacks, M&M's, some Twizzlers that looked far too much like the ghoul's insides for Sam's taste today. "Dude! How can you eat that?"

"Huh?" Dean looked at the Twizzlers bag in his hand. "What? You don't like these, or something? Rae you want some?" Dean gave his sweet-toothed brother a look; Sam not wanting candy was just weird!

"Sure thanks Dean. That is freaky. Sammy, I thought you liked sugar?"

"Yeah Sammy, you're a regular sugar fiend. What's up?"

"First you two, its Sam. Secondly Dean, we just finished gutting a ghoul so yeah I'm not really hungry right now. Especially not for anything that's red and squishy." Sam swallowed thickly, watching Rae and Dean blithely chow down on the Twizzlers, pictures of the dismemberment earlier running through his mind.

"Sam?"

"What Dean?"

"You like see food?" Dean opened his mouth showing the chewed up Twizzlers and M&M's, looking remarkably the ghoul's internal organs.

"Oh man! That's just gross dude! How old are you? Five?"

"Dude that's kind of sick. Anyway I thought you were going to change the movie. Stop bugging your brother and grab a movie already." Rae shoved Dean towards the stacks of movies, much to Sam's relief.

"Yes ma'am." Dean flipped her a fake salute and began searching for the movie, a smug grin on his face.

"You okay Sammy? You look a bit pale." Rae sat down and beckoned Sam to join her.

"Shouldn't you be working or something?"

"Is there anyone in the store?"

"No."

"Good, then I don't have to work. It's Monday night man, nobody rents on Mondays therefore I don't 'work' on Mondays. Simple equation, eh?" Sam still looked green around the gills and was a little withdrawn. "What's up? You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." He mumbled back, his fingers playing over the pop cooler.

"Sure you are, so why won't you look me in the eye when you say that?" Sam looked up startled by her comment, his eyes filled with more pain than usual. "Gods dammit Sammy, what is it already?"

"Just…its just…there's been a lot of fics where innocent people get hurt or die, just…stuff like that." He gave a shuddering breath, and looked away again. "A lot of kids have been getting hurt and it just makes me wonder, I mean I know we're doing our best but its never enough and it just takes a toll. I mean intellectually I know we're the fictional representatives of a show but…but it's my memories, my life. To me everything we go through: death fics, torture everything is real while it happens, and lately its been, its been really hard." Sam blinked furiously, hating how pathetic he sounded. "Geez, what's taking Dean so long?"

"I hid the movie, just to drive him nuts, he always chooses that one. I hid it behind 'Empire Records' because I know he won't look there, we watched that one last time." She smiled at him and gently placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Sammy? You do so much good, even Dean manages to do good. You guys help people; even if they are fictional they are real, okay that came out wrong. What I mean to say is that as a writer I put a lot of myself into my writing and when you guys rush in and save the day, you are in a way saving the writer or in my case the writer and her friends' alter egos." Rae gave him a hopeful smile, and got a similarly tentative one in return.

"Rae! I give up where is it?" Dean called, lost in the shelves of movies. "Come on at least give me a clue."

"Okay, here's your clue: 'Damn the man! Save the Empire!' Sound familiar? How about: 'What's RIP mean?' 'Really idiotic party'?" She and Sam grinned at each other, waiting for Dean to guess.

"'Empire Records'! Of course I should have known!"

They both heard him race across the store, to grab 'Boondock Saints', movies clattering off the shelves as he sped by. He popped up from behind the cooler, movie in hand and an expectant look on his face.

"So where's the DVD player? I wasted enough time looking for this thing thanks to someone." Rae just rolled her eyes at him and pointed behind the counter, which Dean just about jumped in his excitement to put on the movie.

"Sam did you give him caffeine? 'Cause he's a little…uh, he's a little 'up'."

"Nope, but we have been stuck in the car just driving for the last couple fics, being cooped up makes him hyper, it makes me think." He shrugged not wanting to have to try and further explain the inner workings of his brother's mind, he wasn't sure he or anyone could. "Don't ask me, we're related but I still don't get him."

"I know the feeling."

"Movie time kiddies!" Dean called merrily from behind the counter, hitting play on the DVD player, which fed the movie to the 5 TV's in the store. Dean did leap the counter this time and joined Sam and Rae who had settled themselves in front of a set of shelves, with a pile of candy and a bag of chips opened. "Here's a Coca-cola for you, and one for you Sammy, and one for me." The movie began and they all leaned back against the movies. "Perfect."

"You can say that again." Rae agreed as she looked at Sam and Dean, on either side of her. "Hey do you guys have a family prayer like the one in the movie?"

"Nope, unless 'Die you evil son of a bitch' counts?" Sam murmured from her left.

"Not really, no." Rae grinned contently; this was a great way to end a day.

"Hey Sam?"

"Yeah Rae?"

"Dean fell asleep already."

"Really?" An evil smirk crossed Sam's face. "Do you have any permanent markers?"

"Yep."

"Good, I still owe him for the last prank he got me with." Sam smiled, the tension and stress leaving him. If he could, every now and then, have a movie night with friends and revenge on Dean, he might make it through this life. With a brother like Dean how could he not?


	5. Have Ideas, Will Travel

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (Phil and Rae). I'm not making any money, because this is too crazy to sell.

A/N: Just a little break from the ordinary (if any 'RAIC' story can be called that), thought the boys should get out there and meet new people.

Beta'd: By the indispensable Fireman Phil, whose patience with my neurotic self was above and beyond the call of betaing duty and whom came up with a good portion of the story.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Have Ideas, Will Travel

Rae lay on the bed, stereo blaring out Sweatshop Union, the laptop in front of her as her head bobbed in time to the music. She was just about to shut down her computer when, she decided to check her on a whim, hoping for a review, even though she had only updated her story a half an hour ago. She crossed her fingers and with eyes closed clicked on her mailbox.

"Please…" Rae opened her eyes to see a new message from Fireman Phil. "Yes, its Phil!" She opened his message and before she got halfway through dissolved into helpless laughter.

The message read:

Dear Rae

I have a serious question, do you and others really meet with the Winchesters the way you write about in 'Rae Artemis Is Crazy'? If you tell me 'no', how do I explain these two guys who just dropped into my house? Am I going crazy? I'm not even a writer for the love of it! I just like reading your stories.

Dean said something about you mentioning that I was looking for an idea and so he and Sam decided to drop by for a brain storming session. Please reply back as soon as you get this!

Best Regards

Phil

"Well, well, isn't that interesting." She muttered to herself smiling wickedly. Rae had in fact mentioned Phil to the boys and suggested they drop in for a chat, if only because it would break up the monotony of all the young girls whom they visited. It was then that she noticed the time on the message; she'd received it only five minutes before she'd checked her email. "Hmm, I wonder what they're doing?"

Rae began typing out a reassuring message to Phil, telling him to enjoy the brain storming session and reminding him that pizza and beer might be a good way to get ideas flowing. Grinning like the Cheshire cat she hit the send button, Rae then closed down the laptop and settled down to enjoy a Winchester free night.

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Dean was still a little weirded out by the method of travel they had to use when they went to people's houses. It was a little unnerving just appearing out of thin air. Anyhow they'd decided to drop by and see Phil and had materialized, for lack of a better term, outside a door from which they heard typing. Sam had pointed to his watch, which reflected local time, and they'd seen it was half past midnight and he was apparently on the computer.

"Well Rae did say he's a night owl." Sam had whispered to his brother. "Shall we say hi?"

Dean had smiled back, carefully opening the door stepping lightly into the room; he saw a figure at work at a computer. Dean studied the older man, as Sam looked over a few of the books on the bookcase at one end of the room. They were just past the doorframe when the floor let out a loud squeak, causing Sam to jump and Dean to stumble into him. The chair whipped around and they got their first look at one another.

"What the…Holy cow…what are you two doing here?" Phil stammered as he got up out of the chair. "So this is what going mad must feel like." Phil muttered to himself, quoting something Dean almost recognized.

"Are you really a fireman?" Dean asked. "I mean, no offence, you're not that tall."

"Well," Phil responded, "Ligonier is a 'small' town. Besides height has very little to do with fighting fires. We keep low to the floor when we enter a burning structure. I'll bet you didn't know that, did you?"

"See Sammy, another job where being freakishly tall like you would be a draw back rather than useful." Dean smirked at Sam who ignored his brother as usual.

Phil certainly didn't fit what Dean considered to be the usual fan fiction reader type they met up with, though to be truthful, he and Sam had been meeting mostly with writers rather than readers. It was easier to try and control the storylines that way. He'd heard about Phil from Rae, she'd mentioned him in glowing terms, which was one of the reasons Sam and he had dropped by.

"Pardon me for a moment guys, I just have to finish this review and then I'll be ready for insanity." He turned back to the keyboard and finished the review of carocali's story 'Hooray for Hollywood', trying to figure out if he was awake or having a 'Christmas Carol' moment. Just as ghosts had visited Scrooge, was he being visited by Winchesters?

"So hi, I'm Dean and this is my geeky brother Sam, but you probably already know that. We just thought we'd drop by and say hi. You come very highly recommended."

"Is that so?" Suddenly the last couple messages from Rae came to mind. She'd been hinting about sending some 'inspiration' to him and now the Winchesters were here.

"Are you okay? You look a little shocked." Sam asked him, unsure whether to walk towards him or stay where was.

"I'm…fine, I just need to send off an email. Please sit down and relax, this'll just take a moment." Phil felt somewhat giddy, he was thinking back to one of his messages to Rae, perhaps she really was transcribing actual conversations with these two. Maybe that's why it seemed so real, that or he was crazy and had been reading too much fan fiction if that was possible. He sent off an email to Rae, hoping for a speedy reply, if only to know for certain if he was crazy or not.

Sam was looking through the office's bookshelves with a gleam in his eye, while Dean sat in the chair in front of his wife's Mel's desk, watching his brother with amusement. Phil watched the little scene with a keen interest; it wasn't everyday this kind of thing happened. A dinging from his computer drew his attention back to it; the was a message from Rae:

Hi there Phil

I'm glad they finally showed up, been telling them how cool you are for a while now. The best way to keep them from killing each other and driving you nuts is pepperoni pizza and beer. Told them about your cool hockey idea, they thought was funny and liked it. Have fun.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

"So I'm not insane." He said quietly, to almost himself, half smiling.

"Nope, and why does everyone always sound half sad when they say that?" Dean asked, from behind Phil, reading the message. "Wow, she sent feeding instructions and everything." He commented sarcastically, chuckling remembering he and Rae's first meeting, rocky to say the least.

"Are you guys hungry?"

"Dangerous question to ask Dean." Sam called from the books. "Hey can I borrow this?" He asked holding up a copy of Hervey Allen's The City in the Dawn.

"Sure, if you promise to return it. It's been out of print for more than fifty years. You guys have a favourite kind of beer? I've got a couple brands in the fridge." Phil offered, shock disappearing and his manners coming back full strength.

"Beer." Dean answered, a gleam in his eyes.

"Follow me to the kitchen and we'll make a pizza and hang out a little. I've got pizza shells and lots of fresh veggies that I picked from the garden today. Dean, why don't you grab a couple of those beers from the refrigerator and Sam, you can start slicing some of these onions and peppers." Phil smiled, wondering what he was going to tell his wife Mel, when she returned from visiting her brother's family. "You won't believe what happened to me last night…".

"So what's your favourite hockey team Phil? Rae said something about the Calgary Flames but I just couldn't believe her, I mean the Penguins haven't had the best years recently but I think they're due for a comeback." Dean offered eagerly following Phil and the promise of food.

"You're right," Said Phil. "The new kids will be the key. Last year, it was Sidney Crosby from Canada and now this new fellow Evgeni Malkin from Russia is joining the team. Of course for me, the years when Mario Lemeiux was in his prime will always be the best. Do you guys have a favourite team?"

"Well I have to admit to being a fan of the Dallas Stars, though for the last cup after they got knocked out I was cheering for the Edmonton Oilers."

"Hockey's a bit too violent for me-"

"Yeah 'cause our lives are so passive." Dean muttered, rolling his eyes at Sam's distaste for one of the best sports.

"But I'm a fan of the San Antonio Spurs, they are a great team." Sam threw in his two cents then went back to the book in his hands.

"When he was younger, I honestly tried to teach him the noble game but Sammy boy is just not a natural on the ice, in fact he managed to almost kill himself on skates. So he's not really a fan, of course he's not that good a basketball either but likes that for some reason."

Sam ignored his brother, wandering along behind reading the book. Phil smiled so much his face hurt, reminding himself to send Rae a thank you email. It was going to be a memorable night one that no one, except for fanfic writers and some readers would ever believe.

With the pizza in the oven, a second round of beers for the boys opened, they settled down to wait, casual conversation comfortably flowing. Dean and Phil talked about cars, hockey while Sam asked Phil about his library and his job. Phil found himself enjoying the conversation, feeling somewhat paternal towards the two young heroes.

"Ding." The oven timer announced cheerfully.

"Finally, pizzas ready. Sam, plates are in the corner cupboard, if you could grab those. Dean, grab some napkins from the drawer would you? Thanks." Phil grabbed a pair of oven mitts off the counter and opened to oven door to reveal a perfectly cooked pizza.

"Looks good." Sam drooled, pushing Dean aside to get at the pizza. Dean smiled indulgently at his little brother. All three sat down to several slices of pizza apiece and were savouring the freshly cooked pizza.

"Wow this is great! You said the veggies were from your garden?" Dean asked biting down into a delicious piece of home cooked heaven.

"Yep, the vegetables do great out here, and it's nice to have a little patch to take care of." Phil beamed with pride.

"So Phil, you were saying-" Dean began only to be interrupted by a series of electronic alert tones and a cryptic message:

"Station 43: Vehicle accident with entrapment at the traffic light at routes 30 and 711. Police on scene request you expedite." Phil turned to Sam and Dean.

"Guys, I would love to stay and talk, but I've got to go."

"No problem Phil, just the price of being a hero, you never get to eat right Sam?" Sam rolled his eyes, but nodded, as his mouth was full of pizza. "Should we leave or…" Dean's voice trailed away and he looked longingly at the pizza on his plate.

"No, of course not. Just lock up when you boys leave, okay?"

"No problem. We'll get Scotty to beam us up when we've finished the dishes." Sam assured Phil who was on his way out the door. Phil waved goodbye and ran to his car, cursing his luck that the night the Winchesters visit he gets a call.

"There's dedication for you." Dean commented, watching the car pull out of the driveway. "Always on duty."

"At least we got to meet him, not to mention some good pizza and beer out of the deal." Sam leaned back in his chair.

"Maybe next time we drop by we'll get to hang out for longer. Maybe even get around to the whole brainstorming thing. I really like the idea of a hockey story." Dean replied clearing the table.

"Yeah, could be a pair of evil skates." Sam joked following, clearing his dishes following Dean's lead.

"Sure Sammy, those skates were evil." Dean rolled his eyes. "You want to wash or dry?"

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A/N2: The quote 'So this is what going mad feels like' is from Jaynestown, Firefly, said by Simon a couple times in that episode. If anyone caught that pat, yourself on the back.


	6. Thanks

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: I was having a very nice Canadian (I say Canadian because ours is earlier than the U.S.A.'s) Thanksgiving dinner with my family and grandparents, when suddenly this idea hit me, so here it is. Sorry for being so late but it took time to get the details right, not to mention I had to spend sometime with my grandparents before they went home and well controlling my insanity enough to write takes time.

Beta'd: By morning sunlight whose help is as always dearly appreciated and my friend Everett, even though I didn't use him in this one.

Good writing to everyone

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Thanks

She stared at the book, threw a glance at the night's sacrifice before returning to the confusing and somewhat mystic instructions from the book, which were no help at all. The headless carcass lay in front of her, waiting to be prepared for the night's ritual.

It was Thanksgiving and somehow she'd been roped into helping with dinner. Normally she'd hide out with her father and grandpa, watching whatever CFL game was playing. Rae's grandma, mother and sister always did the cooking, it was a good system; it had worked for years after all! This year however, her parents were in Mexico and her sister was working a shift in the Emergency Room right up until dinner, so it was up to Rae to make dinner, a first.

"Grandma, what do I do next?" She called out as she searched the enigmatic cookbook in front of her for help.

"Well, first do you want to explain why you're up to your elbows in turkey guts?" A familiar voice asked gleefully, the smirk very clear in the tone used. Rae's head snapped up, eyes wide, a shocked expression on her face.

"Please, please, please don't be who I think that is." Rae pleaded quietly, her eyes shut and a general sense of dread settling over her.

"Why don't you want it to be who you think it is?" Came the puzzled inquiry, it sounded like Sam was frowning when he said it. Sighing in resignation Rae opened her eyes and was about to explain when her grandmother breezed into the kitchen. She was a slender older woman wearing an apron and thick glasses carrying a table clothe.

"Uh…um…I was just talking to myself, you know wondering what I was supposed to do next with the-" Rae stuttered, worrying her grandmother would think she was insane.

"Rachel, you should have told me you were inviting some friends over for Thanksgiving." Anne scolded her granddaughter, as she nodded to the two young men who were standing in the kitchen staring at her with shocked expressions on their faces. "Hello, I'm Rachel's grandmother Anne and my husband Lenny, is watching the B.C. Lions game in the TV room just through there." Anne smiled at the two boys who appeared to be frozen. "Rachel are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Rae shook her head, snapping out of the shock. "Uh, yeah sorry. Grandma this is Dean and Sam Winchester. Um, they're visiting from out of town and just dropped by to say 'hi'." Rae pinched the back of her hand, trying to snap herself out of whatever strange dream she was having. "Grandma have you been put on any medication recently?"

"Rachel Mary Artemis, whatever are you going on about? Sam, Dean, nice to meet you and we'd be happy to have you join us for dinner, if you don't have any plans?" Anne turned to face the brothers, Rae gesturing them to say 'no' behind her grandmother's back.

"We'd be happy to join you for dinner, Anne." Dean accepted graciously, giving her his most charming smile, as Sam and Rae stared at him in disbelief. "Right Sammy?"

"Uh…yeah, I mean yes. Yes thank you very much ma'am." Sam for once so shocked he forgot to correct Dean for calling him Sammy. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Well if either one of you can cook half decent that would be helpful, we're running a little light in our usual workforce this Thanksgiving. And take off your jackets and stay a while boys." Anne smiled at the two charming visitors, glad to see that her granddaughter had some pleasant young gentlemen companions. Both boys shrugged out of their jackets at her insistence, smiling sheepishly.

"Pardon me but you keep saying 'Thanksgiving' but that isn't for another month." Dean smiled apologetically. "At least I didn't think it was for another month."

"Oh, you boys must be Americans, so this is Columbus Day for you. Our Thanksgiving is earlier than your is, lads." Anne smiled sweetly. "Now if you kids will excuse me, I've got to get the potatoes from the basement as well as dessert. Rachel, you just call if you need help."

After Anne had left the kitchen there was a moment of silence, as they all stood looking at each other with varying expressions of confusion of their faces. Dean began to smirk and Rae catching sight of this started blushing in a pre-emptive strike.

"So…'Rachel', where's the beer?" He grinned at her, all innocence except for the gleam in his eye.

"In that bar fridge over there and to paraphrase Sam, the name is Rae." She fought the urge to grab the very tempting knife on the counter mere centimetres from her hands.

"Ignore him Rae. Whose place is this? We dropped by your apartment and nobody was there so we decided to track you down." Sam asked trying to hide his own smile.

"It's my parent's place, only place big enough for proper cooking and this way my grandparents can stay a while." She grumbled, at the moment loathing her grandmother for using her full name. Sam had asked when they'd first met if her full name was Rachel, she'd said no because she hated her full name.

"Nice place." Dean remarked taking in his surroundings. "Good selection of beer, Rachel."

"Do you need any help?" Sam asked seeing Rae's eyes dart from Dean to the knife again.

"Do you cook? 'Cause if you do, even a little, please feel free to jump in." Rae held up her hands in surrender, Sam washed up and checked the book before gently shoving Rae to one side and taking the turkey from her well meaning, though inept hands.

"Well I'll leave you two ladies to it, I believe I heard something earlier about football." Dean had just begun sidling towards the door when Anne reappeared in it struggling with a huge sack of potatoes.

"Good to see a young man willing to help out." Anne remarked giving Sam a bright smile, behind her Dean stuck out his tongue at Sam. "As for you…Dean is it?" He nodded quickly, there was something about her that demanded obedience; she reminded him of his father a little. "I'm afraid we'll need to press you into kitchen duty as well. As I said earlier, the usual troops are missing and I'm afraid that if we don't get going we won't eat until midnight." Dean felt his shoulders straighten and fought the urge to salute.

"Be more than happy to do whatever I can." Dean found himself replying before he could help it.

"Wonderful, I'll just get you to peel and slice the carrots, potatoes and yams. Meanwhile I'll start Rachel's favourite, brussel sprouts." Rae made a gagging noise at the mere mention of her most detested vegetable enemy, the dreaded evil green brains.

As the dinner prep continued the foursome became chatty, much to Rae's horror, and before long Anne was regaling a laughing Dean and Sam with stories of Rachel's youth; all the dance recitals, school plays and other things Rae had fought to suppress in detail. Once the food was a mere forty-five minutes from being ready Rae, Sam and Dean were all kicked out of the kitchen and told to wash up for supper. Dean and Sam looked to Rae for clarification.

"She means grab a shower and get dressed for dinner."

"How? We don't exactly have a car or even bags to grab stuff from." Sam replied, throwing up his hands in frustration, every time he was about to enjoy a nice, normal bit of life something messed it up.

"Well…tell you what you both grab a shower and I'll see about the clothes." Rae offered racking her brain for anything at all. After directing the boys to the basement, her old room and the guest stuff, she pounced on the phone.

"Hey Peter this is Rae, I have a big favour to ask of you…"

When Sam had finished his shower he went back to the guest room, which apparently used to be Rae's room, to change back into his clothes.

He was just annoyed about the dinner thing because every time he got the slightest taste of normal it was ripped away from him. It had been really nice making dinner, he'd done the same with Jess and her family but never had Dean there too. It had been really bizarre to see Dean chatting with a grandma and being all 'domestic', even when they were kids it hadn't been so…cosy/homey.

Sam opened the door with a sigh; a normal dinner would be nice, even if 'Thanksgiving' had come a month early. On the bed was a nice outfit that was most definitely not the clothes he'd been forced to sleep in the night before. Looking around he found his clothes neatly folded on a chair, the comparison between the two sets of clothing made it clear which one he was wearing to dinner. After getting changed, he ran into Rae who was about to duck into the bathroom for her shower. He felt a slight pang of guilt when he realized that she'd probably get stuck with a cold shower going after Dean and himself.

"Rae, where did you…how did you find clothes for me? You don't have a brother you never talk about do you?" Sam stammered out.

"No, I just called in a favour with a couple of my guy friends I'm always talking about. My friends Peter and Dave don't live far so I ran out to borrow some clothes from them, glad to see that they fit." She gave him a smile then quickly slipped by to grab a quick shower, to clean the flour out of her hair.

"Wow, Sammy you look like a dork."

"And you look like a Blues Brother."

"Jealous."

"Jerk."

"Bitch." Both brothers smiled at one another, both feeling a little surreal in the borrowed clothes and borrowed family holiday.

"We should probably see if Anne needs help setting the table or something." Sam felt weird but strangely content. Running up the stairs, shoving his brother like they were five, he could almost forget the holidays that they'd missed out on, almost.

"My, my, my. Don't you two clean up nice." Anne smiled at them, as she finished setting the table, she was now dressed in a cardigan, dress slacks and pearls. "Boys this is my husband Lenny, Lenny these are some friends of Rachel's; they'll be joining us for dinner." Sam and Dean turned to face a tall older man; he was only 5'10" but gave the illusion of being taller because of his gaunt figure. He cleared his throat and in a somewhat hoarse voice greeted the boys.

"So you're friends of our Rae? Either one of you her boyfriend?" Lenny asked gruffly, ending on a cough that noted he had been a smoker for a long time. Sam and Dean exchanged worried looks and weren't sure how to answer, fortunately they were saved from having to.

"Grandpa! Be polite, you're just meeting these guys, you'll give them a bad impression of yourself." Rae chided him from the stairs having arrived just as he had asked his blunt question. Sam and Dean were both shocked to see Rae in a skirt, all dressed up, it was a little disconcerting.

"Rae, I'm eighty-three years old, I don't really worry much about what people think. Neither does your grandmother. When you get to be our age, what other people think doesn't really matter." He gave her a patronizing smile, and then returned his razor sharp gaze to the boys.

"Nope, we're just some friends of her's is all, sir." Dean replied, again fighting the strong urge to salute. Must be something about this family, they all have that 'orders will be obeyed' air about them. Dean thought to himself.

"That's nice, dears." Anne smiled widely at the boys, though a bit disappointed. "Rachel, Nicole phoned, she's going to be stuck at the hospital for a while yet so she said to go ahead without her, though we should save her some brussel sprouts."

"She can have mine." Rae offered, still feeling a little dazed by the fact both her grandparents were able to see Dean and Sam. As far as Rae knew the only people who could see the brothers were, writers, little kids and those who were generally dealing with a different type of reality most people didn't see. It sort of worried Rae that her grandparents could see Dean and Sam, gave the old mental illness front a new tone for sure.

Anne directed them to head towards the table which was full with all the bowls and plates of food, mashed potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, yams, pickles sweet and sour, beets, salad, cranberry sauce, homemade buns, gravy and of course the huge turkey. An entire afternoon's work laid out on the table looking delicious the thought that they had accomplished it made it even more impressive. Rae smiled softly as she saw her grandfather pull out her grandmother's chair. She had to smother a laugh when Sam did the same for her, Dean rolling his eyes at his little brother's antics, as her grandmother gave an approving nod. After pouring everyone a glass of wine Lenny proposed a toast.

"To new friends, something to truly be thankful for."

"Here, here." Chorused everyone at the table, a general feeling of peace falling over them all even the two tired warriors.

The meal progressed with more toasts and Sam and Dean carefully dodging questions about their home and family, falling back on the usual road trip story they knew by heart. Rae almost choked on a mouthful of turkey when Dean had answered that he was an accountant and how he wished his work were more interesting. Anne was very impressed to hear that Sam was pre-law at Stanford though a little disappointed that he was taking a break to go on a road trip with his brother. Lenny had replied that his time on the railroad, travelling around Canada in his youth hadn't done him any harm, and a young man should learn about his country, himself and that a road trip was an excellent way to do so.

The dinner conversation was fairly tame (Rae had worried her grandfather would air his old fashioned views of life, religion, everything); she actually relaxed and was disappointed when it came to an end. Dean and Sam helped clear the table and after dessert Rae's grandparents called it an early night, Dean and Sam not yet willing to leave the pseudo-family environment they'd enjoyed all night.

Sitting around the table as the candles burned down and the ice cream melted Sam feared to move, afraid that if they left the table they would loose the peaceful feeling. Sam had few memories of this kind of peace: when his father had rarely comforted him as a child, or Dean had on the many occasions when John was too busy, when he'd wake up in the morning with Jess next to him, meeting his mother for the first and last time.

They made small talk and Sam put off leaving for as long as he could, until a surprised Rae looked at the clock and saw that it was midnight.

"Geez, where the Hell is that kid? She should have gotten off hours ago!"

"Where was she working?" Dean asked, hearing the worry in Rae's off handed comment as an older sibling himself he knew the well-hidden signs.

"The ER, she could've been held up, holiday weekend means there'll be plenty of business tonight."

"That's an pretty bleak outlook on life." Sam chided, worried that he and Dean weren't the only ones with a lack on innocence.

"I grew up with a paramedic for a father, an ICU unit clerk as a mother, a respiratory therapist as a sister and over half my extended family in the medical field. I just know what happens, that's all." Rae shrugged it off as she fidgeted, her fingers itching to call her sister but knowing that Nicole was probably busy at the hospital.

"Yeah that's not being bleak, its realism Sammy." Dean threw his brother a lopsided grin. "Rae just give her a call already, it can't hurt."

"Fine, if it'll make you feel better."

"No, but you will, so do it already." Dean smiled at her stubborn streak, almost as bad as his own. Rae had just picked up the phone, jumping as it rang in her hand.

"Hello? Nikki? About time kid, what's been taking you so long?" Rae paced as she spoke to her sister, her agitation clear in her every move. "What do you mean you ran into someone I know? Who? Meg?" Sam and Dean sat at attention at the mere mention of the name. "I don't know anyone named Meg… she said she's a friend of Sam and Dean's?" A look of horror slowly crept over Rae's face. "No! Nicole, do not give her a ride! Don't! No, listen to me…just listen okay? I know that girl and she'd bad news. If you love me as your sister…No, I'm not being dramatic! Just trust me okay? Don't give her a ride. Call her a taxi, I'll pay. But do not give her a ride. Just come home, okay? Please?" Rae swallowed hard beginning to panic at the thought of Meg alone with Nicole. "Please Nikki?" A note of desperate fear evident in her voice, causing Dean and Sam to edge closer to the frightened girl. "Nikki?"

"She's not going to get in a car with that psycho bitch, is she?" Dean asked holding Rae's face in his hands, trying to get her attention. Sam stood behind Rae, hands on her shoulders, a grim expression on his face as his brother knelt in front of Rae. She sat in the chair her shoulders hunched, lost to the world as the phone fell from her numb hands, a dial tone droning endlessly. "Rae? She's not is she? Rae?"


	7. Lakeside Propositions

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: It had been pointed out to me that my 'Rae Artemis Is Crazy' stories are a tad predictable and completely made of fluff. At first I was offended, but hey it's true! So here is my attempt at a darker story and a more complex storyline in general. Still no worries as I find character death impossible, except maybe my own character. Oh and it may take a little bit to get to the 'good' part but please persevere, it does get there.

Beta'd: morning sunlight whom is a wonderfully dedicated beta, without you I wouldn't be here…okay I might but my stories would be horribly unbeta'd and really bad!

Good writing to everyone

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Lakeside Propositions

Rae stared out her window at the moonlight filtering through the random clouds. With a sigh she turned back to her Canadian Literature homework.

"Why did I take this course?" She moaned looking at the stack of books she had to read over the weekend. "I should have taken Shakespeare but no, Canadian Lit. will be so educational. Next time I'm going with the easy 'A'."

Aimlessly she flipped a page in her book, trying to read the words, but while her eyes took in the words, her mind refused to understand them. The clock on her bedside table glowed with cheerful blood red numbers, showing that she had been glaring at the same page for five minutes, apparently. It was already 1:15 AM!

"Well, I'm not getting anything done and a break couldn't hurt anything…" Rae murmured softly, expecting lightening to strike her down for such study blasphemy. Lightening-strike free, she excitedly collected up her laptop and bundled up in warm clothes, as it was fall and the lake was cold. Her usual supplies rounded up, she left a note for her roommate:

'Have gone to lake to study, have cell.

Do not disturb unless a matter of life and death.

Seriously, someone had better be dying if you phone.

Back by dawn,

Rae.'

Humming happily she jumped in her car and sped off to the lake, her mind already sifting new story ideas and possible sequels to already posted stories.

Once at the lake, she all but ran to her writing table and assembled her essential writing materials: laptop, glasses apparently she was going blind in her 'old age', pack of flavoured mini cigars, Zippo lighter, back up notebook and pen if her computer died, cell phone and finally the student's best friend caffeine, in the form of Coca-Cola. Once set up, she lit a chocolate mint mini cigar, stretched out her fingers and flipped open her computer to a blank word document. Before long the sound of typing, cars on the highway and her vague mutterings were the only sounds to be heard in the almost perfectly still night.

A crack of a branch made Rae jump and dragged her out of her writing 'trance', after all it had only been little over a week since her sister had met Sam and Dean's 'friend' Meg. The thought of what could have happened still chilled Rae's blood, however Sam and Dean were busy trying to track down the blonde sociopath and had assured Rae that she was probably safe. There had been reports of Meg terrorizing European fans and some Aussies as well, so Rae felt secure at the lake.

"Hellfire! I was just getting to the cool bit. Sheesh, when did it get so bloody cold?" She groused to the night in general. "Makes me glad I don't live where there is winter." Rae lit up a second cigar and looked up at the night's sky, the reason she had put a halt to studying for the night.

The moon was bright and full, though there were some clouds moving towards it, the light was brilliant. Silver-lined shadows took on a life of their own as Rae scanned the tree line with some hope of visitors, specifically the Winchesters, who she hadn't seen for a while and was strangely beginning to miss. She knew it was important for them to see if it really was Meg out there but she missed them none the less. Even Dean who had made a habit of distracting her in her history class where only Rae could see him, Sam never bothered her; he was too interested in the lectures.

Peering into the gloom that pooled beneath the huge cedars, Rae jumped when she saw an outline of a person. She got up off the bench and began walking towards the shadow, hoping to be scared by Dean any minute. As she approached the night went dark as a cloud passed over the moon and stayed there, the shadow was swallowed up by the night. Unwilling to leave what little light was left she retreated to her bench; the park abruptly loosing the comfortable feeling it had always had before.

"No worries, chill out spaz. You've just been watching too many scary movies again is all." Rae muttered to herself, chiding herself for her fearful reaction. As an added bonus the song 'Bad Moon' by CCR began on her MP3 player. Since seeing the season finale of Supernatural the song had lost what charm it'd had once enjoyed. Rae looked up to the sky, hoping to take some courage from her namesake in the sky, but the moon was hidden behind a black cloud that refused to move, though other clouds flowed around.

"That's not right." Rae breathed out, her voice shaking with cold and fear.

"Very perceptive of you." An unfortunately familiar voice mocked from behind Rae, arrogance thick with every syllable.

"Time to go." Rae quipped as she dashed for her bag and the knife hidden within, hoping to make an escape but wanting to be prepared, just in case. Before she could get to the table, the shadow darted ahead and was waiting for her.

"Hello Rae, I thought it was about time I dropped by and said 'hi'. Seemed like the polite thing to do, you know, after meeting up with your sister and all. She's a sweet girl, bit of a talker though. It was all I could do not to choke the life out of her." Meg bared her teeth in the mockery of a smile. "I just had to tell you…I'm such a fan." She faked a big smile as she gushed out the sarcastic apparent in her voice.

"Okay, so this is a weird dream and I'll wake up in a minute to my annoying alarm, because no way do I really want to be here." Rae discreetly pinched the back of her left hand, hoping she was just having a bad dream.

"Here I'll help you with that." Meg bounded up with Rae's own knife and sliced the back of Rae's left hand, a red line appearing in the dim light.

"Ow!" Rae jumped back cradling her hand away from the demon. "Bitch!" She hissed out, fighting the pit of fear that had just opened in her stomach, along with the smaller pit of anger that Meg was using Rae's knife without asking, Rae was a little particular about that kind of thing.

"Oh that looks like it hurt, want me to kiss it better?" Meg batted her eyes as she licked the blade, making Rae gag as Meg cleaned the blood off the knife.

"This is not happening. Not happening." Rae slammed her eyes shut and then opened one hesitantly, Meg was nowhere to be seen and she sighed out in relief; until she felt her own blade against the back of her neck. "This is happening." Rae gasped out as Meg dragged her onto the bench and began to chat with Rae, as though they were at a sleep over or something.

"Good girl, I didn't have to hurt you again to make my point. You wouldn't believe how stubborn some people can be about this. For instance I was talking with this girl in…where was it? Somewhere in Australia and it took some convincing that I was real and that all the blood was real too. You wouldn't believe the mess I made. I think her parents now think the kid is suicidal now, oh well." Rae looked into Meg's eyes and saw the black demonic eyes and no sign of remorse. Meg giggled like a schoolgirl and sliced Rae's right hand.

"Hellfire! What the Hell was that for?" Rae gasped, her annoyance and fear fighting each other. She really wanted to tell Meg off but had a desire to keep breathing so she didn't.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself, it is a very nice knife and I do so love to play with nice toys." Meg smiled broadly at Rae, who bit back the automatic correction that knives weren't toys and were never to be 'played' with. "Anyway the reason I came was to say that I think you're on the wrong side."

"Huh?" Rae's jaw dropped in confusion and, for the moment, she forgot about the pain in her hands.

"You're writing for the good guys and let's face it sweetie, you would have so much more fun being bad and naughty." Meg flashed a knowing smile at Rae. "You know you want to."

"What? No! I would never-" Rae sputtered, trying to ignore the little voice in her head that was agreeing with Meg.

"Now don't be embarrassed we all…well all humans have a dark side and where's the fun in ignoring it? Being bad is so much more fun than being good." The blonde seemed to have a hard time saying 'good' but otherwise her speech was well polished, almost as if she were recruiting. It was this idea that snapped Rae from the semi-trance Meg's speech had put her in.

"I may not be 'good' but I'm definitely not evil, well at least not like 'evil' evil. I mean my sister has called me an evil genius but she meant it in a good way…I think."

"Funny you should bring up your sister, because well that was my next point actually." Meg held Rae's hands and squeezed them tight as Rae tried to pull away, causing a lot of pain in the spilt skin. "If you don't agree to 'join' my team, I'll go after your sister, it would be so easy for something to happen to her at work or driving home or out on the town…Really the possibilities are endless." She smiled a cold, empty smile, which only held the promise of violence.

"If you hurt my sister, I swear I will kill you." Rae growled out, still trying to free her hands but Meg held them tight and laughed. The tinkling laugh was like shards of glass on Rae's spine. "You know my father wants you to join the team but myself? I just love seeing those boys suffer and since they drop by your place all the time I think you may be important to them, at least a little. So killing you would well me worth my father being a bit annoyed with me. Hell I might even hurt your sister for fun, I'm sure she's a screamer." She smiled and brought up the knife in her right hand, while crushing Rae's wrists together with her left hand. "Oh that fear in your eyes is worth the lecture I'm going to get."

The severity of her situation began to dawn on Rae, not only was there a threat against her life, but also Meg was going to hurt her sister. Just as Dean was overly protective of Sam, Rae was terribly protective of her little sister Nicole; it was an older sibling's responsibility.

Rae's wrists were held fast in Meg's iron grasp so all she could do was kick out. She caught Meg in the right shoulder, trying to get her to drop the knife. Rae only managed to fall backwards off the bench, Meg continuing to hold Rae's wrist so hard the bones ground together, Rae felt something snap but there was no pain.

"Now, now the more you piss me off the slower I kill you." Meg sang out, jerking Rae to her feet, finally releasing her wrists as she threw Rae to the bench.

"Heads I kill you, tails I just torture you a lot." Meg dug a coin from her pocket and threw it high into the air, her attention intent on the coin.

Rae made a break for it, stumbling over familiar ground made mysterious by fear. She ran up the slight hill towards the parking lot, her car just in sight. Scrambling up the hill, Rae fought the urge to celebrate, if there was one thing she'd learned from horror movies it was never say 'I'm safe now' because THEN you will die. She ran across the parking lot, fumbling for her keys. As she did so, Rae found that her right wrist was broken and suddenly quite painful.

Cradling her now throbbing wrist, she slammed the keys into the lock. As the key turned Rae sighed with relief and pulled on the handle to open the door. It wouldn't budge; the door was unlocked but wouldn't open!

Rae looked down and saw a delicate hand on the door holding it closed; a prickling in her lower back informed her that Meg was behind her and still had the knife.

"Rae, do you want to guess how the coin landed?"


	8. Aftermath of the Darkside

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N1: To everyone I'm SORRY I took so bloody long in putting this up, it tortured me, similar to Meg's brand of torture but more painful. So here it is and now after this one is up I promise to do some more fluffy ones before I revisit this kind of stuff, I promise. However since I started this evil Meg thing I will no doubt be coming back to this, so sorry to anyone not so found of this.

A/N2: I'm sorry to anyone who didn't like the previous chapter, but it can't all be sugarplums and puppies there is the dark too. I'm going to do more fluffy ones in the future (I promise B.J.) but I will also do some darker ones every now and then just to keep you on your toes. So hang in there, I'm sure I'll eventually do a chapter you really like, one can only hope, eh?

Thanks: The title was inspired by Fireman Phil from a PM I got from him, thanks Phil you're brilliant!

Beta'd: as usual the always patient morning sunlight.

Good writing to everyone

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Aftermath of the Dark Side

"Hey Rae, we're back!"

"Dude, its 1:30 am, quit yelling." Sam admonished his older brother, shaking his head at Dean. "She could be sleeping."

The brothers walked through her basement suite hoping to see the telltale glow of a TV or computer monitor.

"C'mon Sammy, Rae never sleeps before 3:00 am, you know that."

"Most days, but sometimes she does crash early. And if you wake her up she will kill you, you do know that, right?"

They checked the rest of the suite with the exception of Adele's room, Rae's roommate. Both had been moving as quietly as they could, with the exception of Sam crashing into the coat rack. He and Dean had both frozen, eyes darting to Adele's door, praying she wouldn't wake up. Adele was Rae's, somewhat psychotic roommate, who didn't like being woken up at night at all. Getting no reaction they finally noticed that Adele's car wasn't in the driveway and therefore she had to be out because no one else drove her car, ever.

"Thank the powers that be for small favours." Sam grinned at Dean who didn't like Adele and, though the two had never really met, Sam had a feeling she wouldn't like him much either. They ended up standing outside Rae's, uncharacteristically closed, bedroom door.

"Rock, paper, scissors to see who knocks." Dean offered Sam, who rolled his eyes and knocked carefully, getting no answer. "Dude, you can't knock like that, you know she sleeps like the dead."

"Dean, all the dead we meet are pretty active, what with the hauntings, zombies and the rest." Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother who ignored him and pounded on the door, the hinges groaning under the barrage. The brothers leaned towards the door hoping to hear some sign of life.

"Well, Rae's car is in the driveway, there are dishes in the sink, there's bread baking in the oven and according to that last email we got she hadn't seen or heard from Meg since we left, right Sammy?" Dean leaned against the doorframe, listing the points on his hand, a worried look crossing his features.

"Yeah, but that email was a couple of days ago Dean and it was pretty strange…for Rae." Sam shrugged, mentally reviewing the unusual email he'd gotten from Rae. He hadn't mentioned to Dean his concerns over the email as they'd been hot on Meg's trail and he hadn't wanted to distract his brother from the hunt.

"Strange how, Sammy?" Dean demanded, straightening up from his laid back posture and attempting to stare down his too tall, little brother.

"Um, well you know how she's a writer and so all her emails are really long and overly descriptive? This one was…really short and sounded a bit…nervous somehow. I don't know man, it just wasn't quite right but we had almost caught up to Meg when she was stalking _Bjxmas_, then she ran and went after _Kat_, then poor _Jessica!_ I still say she had something to do with that accident that happened when we dropped by _Phil's_, that night. I swear she's been going after everybody we see, in some way, its almost as if-"

"Sam!" Dean finally broke Sam's rambling speech, his own suspicions being voiced by his brother didn't help his anxiety. "We already figured out that Meg was intimidating writers on fanfic and that some of them were ones we've hung out with which, while it seems like proof but hopefully it's just coincidence." Dean resisted the urge to shake Sam by his broad shoulders to get the email out of him. "Exactly what did Rae say?"

"The unusual thing about it was that she didn't use her signature and the email was only about three lines and she didn't sign off like she always does." Sam pulled his Palm Treo 650 to recheck the message. "Yeah here it is, 'Everything is okay here. My sister's okay so no worries. Just find Meg and make her stop.'"

Sam looked at Dean, who was now staring at the door helplessly, the eternal dilemma confronting him, to open a girl's door without permission or not. Sam was still staring at him with puppy dog eyes, silently begging his older brother not to be mad at the lack of information Sam had given him.

"I mean while it doesn't sound 'normal' for Rae, maybe she was busy and didn't have time for a long email?" He offered knowing, as Dean did, that Rae always had time for emails, she'd even stay up late into the night to finish up her messages.

"Yeah sure and maybe you will one day be considered cool." Dean sourly shot back.

Taking a deep breath, Dean gripped the door handle and turned it, or at least tried to, however the door was locked and wouldn't budge. He and Sam exchanged a disgusted look and Dean swiftly picked the lock, gently opening the door. Dean held his breath, a deep pit of dread opening in his stomach as he inched into the darkened room, Sam following along behind him like a nervous shadow.

They slowly crept into the room, taking in the details that had changed since their last visit. All the furniture was still there, bookcase, desk, dresser and a double bed taking up most of the room set in the middle of the wall, the rest of the furniture around it. Normally the room was a cross between a frat house, a craft shop and a library. Rae maintained that, because she was a writer, she needed a certain amount of mess to keep creative, Sam thought that it was because she was a student, who also wrote too much and Dean figured that she just didn't care. Whatever the reason it didn't matter anymore as the room was spotless and organized. They were awestruck at the difference from before, all the shoes put away, the clothes no longer strewn across the floor and just in general the perfect cleanliness of the room. It was horrifying by how wrong it seemed.

The only light in the room was the gentle glow from the laptop screen and the light leaking in from the open door. Rae was asleep in her bed, twisted in her many quilts, blankets and headphone wires, her laptop playing an episode of 'Firefly'. As he approached the bed, a squeaky floorboard groaned under his weight. Ignoring it, Dean continued forward only to be pelted in the face by a familiar teddy bear. Leaning down, he picked up Rae's favourite stuffed animal, her bear Bramwell Brown, a worn 23 year old bear. Dean glared at Rae, who was apparently still asleep, though all he could see was an arm poking out from the blankets. How she managed to sleep with Sammy laughing in the doorway was beyond him.

"Shut up." Dean growled at his hysterical brother.

"I did warn you-"

"Hmmm?" Rae inquired from her nest of blankets, waking up to the sound of voices in her sanctuary. As the realization she was no longer alone truly hit home she twitched, pulling the covers to conceal her arm.

"Good morning Rae!" Dean chirped at her, knowing not to get with in arm's reach when waking Rae.

"Why'd you go to bed so early?" Sam asked.

"What the Hell? Why are you guys here? I thought you were in Australia? Or New Zealand or something?" Rae said, suspiciously still hiding under her covers.

"Have you started sleeping naked or something?" Dean asked, a smirk on his face, ducking as yet another stuffed animal dive bombed him.

"No, but…why are you in my room?" Rae quickly changed the subject. "I thought we made this clear last time, come in here and I kill you?" Rae purposefully avoided the subject, not wanting them to see the aftermath of her night with Meg, it had only been a couple days before and she was still finding new bruises and pains; a little gift from the sociopathic blonde.

"We've seen them before and they're so cute." Dean cooed sarcastically, remembering Rae's embarrassment before. "Don't bother changing, we need to talk about Meg, she's on the move and is on a bit of a…" Dean looked at Sam, unable to find a word appropriate to Meg's current activities.

"Rampage, she seems to be taking it out on writers who give us a positive spin to us and paint her in a less than nice light." Sam sighed remembering the stories of the people they'd heard in the last two days.

"Yeah, that bitch is really making the rounds and we had been tipped off by _Kat_ and Meg also made a visit to _Jessica_! We've been getting emails at all hours of the day from writers who we've been to see, saying that Meg has visited them and made some kind of offer or ultimatum to most of them." Dean began to pace in frustration while Sam looked on with his haunted puppy dog eyes. "She's been everywhere, from _graceandfire's_ place, to _Azulsky's_, to _morning sunlight_, to _carocali_. Honestly she's targeting people we talk to on a regular basis, Meg scared the Hell out of _P.L. Wynter_ at work, showed up in public threatening _gdspgcfan_ and taunted _Anna_ in front of her friends! She even went after those two girls who are under our names, _SammyandDean_! Seriously she has been stalking writers and every time we show up it's too late!" Dean felt like punching something but instead settled for glaring at the blanket-covered lump that Rae huddled under.

Unable to properly vent his frustration he pulled off the quilts, Rae tried to snatch them back but was not quite able to. As Rae's appearance sunk in on Dean he dropped the covers and took a step back in horror. Sam gasped as he took in the cuts, the bruises and the cast, it was all so wrong! Rae scrambled back, grabbing the blankets back up to try and cover the damage boldly shown by her tank top and capri-like PJ bottoms, her eyes downcast and filled with tears of shame.

"I'm sorry." She sighed, her breath shallow and rapid. "It was my own fault, I went out to write and she showed up and…it was my fault." At the declaration of her 'guilt' Dean looked up sharply but had to look away as the violence was too much to take in.

"It. Is. Not. Your. Fault." Dean said very clearly, a current of anger just underneath this attempt at a calming tone.

"Yes, I tempted fate, I pissed off the writing gods or something as not only did I get my butt handed to me by a 5'4" blonde who's witty banter sounded like a bad Bond villain. Worst of all, I should have known what to do, I've fought before, schoolyard stuff, a self defence course in college but no, I stood there and let her beat me!" Rae's voice became brittle as the tears were fought off. "I allowed her to do this, because I was afraid that if I fought back she'd do worse or go after my sister! What kinda person lets that happen? She threatened my sister and I let her walk away!"

"She's a demon, there was nothing you could've done, nothing at all." Sam walked towards her, past Dean who couldn't move close to a person he felt he had failed.

"She said she'd go after my sister! I shouldn't have let her walk out of that park! No one threatens Nicole, nobody!" Rae pulled at her hair, tears tracing the cuts on her cheeks, as she recalled all the times she'd taken care of her sister's 'problems' at school.

"Rae, when did this happen?" Rae refused to meet his eyes, so he moved forward and she flinched at his approach, an automatic, instinctual reaction to his too quick movement. "When was she here? We need to know so we can track her down." Dean's fist ached to hit the blonde bitch.

"She was here two nights ago, well not here, at the lake. I went to write, 'cause I'd heard she was in Europe or Australia or something and…and I c-couldn't write in the house so I went to the lake as usual and she made me 'an offer' that I refused, which resulted in…this."

"Did she break your arm?" Sam asked, carefully settling himself beside Rae on her bed, gently putting his arm around her shoulders in a show of support.

"No, I did it running away." Rae laughed brokenly, her shame of that night still fresh. "I was running up a hill and fell wrong and the damn thing broke, it's not bad but just really bad timing. Oh Gods, I should have done something; she said she'd kill my sister. She flipped a coin and said I had to choose and that if I was 'fun' she might not kill my sister-"

"What did she say? Is Nicole safe? Do you need us to watch her?" Sam asked quietly, his eyes intent on Dean, who appeared to be silently berating himself for something that he had no control over.

"She flipped a coin to see if I'd live or die and it came down tails." Rae swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, rocking slightly as Dean and Sam listened to her rambling explanation. "Tails which meant just torture. She said if I promised to write a death fic, she wouldn't kill my sister. She said she wouldn't so I promised." Rae shivered at the remembrance of Meg's voice whispering in her ear, 'Rae, do you want to guess how the coin landed?'. That phrase would wake her out of sleep for nights to come, she just knew it. "I know I promised you guys but I just couldn't let her hurt Nikki, I couldn't." She drew a shaking breath, as she looked them in the eyes, her own filling with more tears. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't, I really sorry but Nikki has no defense and she won't listen to me. As soon as Meg let me go I phoned her and tried to warn her but now she thinks I'm crazy and…and she doesn't know, she has no idea…" Rae's rambling broke apart as the tears over took her and she cried against Sam's shoulder, as Dean watched helplessly. As she sobbed, she kept murmuring 'she even doesn't know'.

Eventually Rae stopped and wiped her tearstained face with her teddy bear that Dean had handed her in the middle of her breakdown.

"Well not to rip off the writers on the show but 'how can you make that right?' Because Nikki won't even talk to me as she thinks I'm WAY too obsessed now and was talking about mental health care and Meg will no doubt go back on her word." Rae snuffled embarrassed at her lack of composure. "I am really sorry about the death fic thing but…as much as Nikki drives me crazy, she is my little sister and I would have promised Meg my soul to save that kid." She looked at Dean who gave her a look of perfect understanding.

"It's okay, it's not like you made a secret deal with her or anything, you just have to write a death fic and I know you'll do your best on it." Sam chimed in from beside her, not quite getting the older sibling moment that was going on, or the fact that Rae's eyes dropped away from Dean's at this comment.

"So do we need to hug now or something?" Dean asked sarcastically, hoping for Rae to crack a smile, he was rewarded by with a grin.

"No, we don't need to hug, though I'm not against it." Rae replied archly, causing Sam to laugh as Dean gaped at Rae's comment. "Don't worry I'm done being a spaz. I just had to vent and…and let you guys know what happened. At least something good came of all this, Adele moved out! She got sick of my late hours, 'bad' music and me coming home beat up was apparently the last straw."

"Really? Wow, and here I thought I'd have to haunt her or something. So who are you going to get as a new roomie? Someone hot?" Dean eagerly asked, rubbing his hands together as he considered the possibilities.

"I don't know yet but they can't be as bad as Adele, that's for sure." Rae gently pushed herself off the bed walking to the door. "Well getting rid of Adele is something to toast, that's for damned sure." She paused at the door, looking over her shoulder a smile lighting her face. "Pizza and beer? Or should we go more exotic?"

"Exotic how?" Dean asked, the usual evil glint in his eyes.

"Exotic, like we three cook?" Rae raised a challenging eyebrow. Dean looked at Sam who shrugged willingly.

"It worked for Thanksgiving."

"True enough."


	9. B&E Breaking And Entry

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: Yeah so I know I said I was going back to fluff but this idea won't let go and the claws are kinda sharp so here it goes. Oh and after this one the plan is for some nice fluffy pieces with only the very occasional dark one.

A/N 2: Please remember to review, its polite and nice. I don't 'need' them but I love to get feed back and hear what I did right and wrong so please drop me a line and let me know.

A/N 3: And finally as I'm posting this on March 1st happy birthday to Jensen Ackles.

Beta'd: by both the lovely _M.Kena_ and the wonderful _morning sunlight_.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter 9: B&E Breaking And Entry

It was 2:30 AM and Rae found she couldn't sleep; she was wide-awake, bouncing off the walls with nervous energy. It had been well over two weeks since her run in with Meg, but Rae was still jumpy and twitched at unexpected noises. Her friends and family had believed her story about being mugged downtown for her wallet and cell phone. She'd even received a lecture from her father about walking around the downtown core in the middle of the night by herself. He had suggested that if Rae wanted to go to for walks in the middle of the night, a walk through a park, possibly the park by the lake, would be a better idea. Rae had choked back a cry at this comment and excused herself from the room. Now, finally, she was on her own again after days of having someone watch her constantly and making sure she was 'okay'. Typically a friend or her sister would come to stay with her, because Adele had moved out after the 'incident'. It had been tense, as the Winchesters had been showing up at all hours to check on her to be sure she was safe. It had led to some very embarrassing moments and to some conversations 'with herself' that had been very hard to explain to her friends. Dean and Sam had been very worried that Meg would come back after Rae, so they'd been on bodyguard duty for the first week or so, driving Rae insane with juggling her friends, family and the brothers. Her mom had thought she'd had a psychotic break after she'd seen Rae yelling at thin air.

So now here she was, almost vibrating with energy and nothing to do, except listen to the noises in her basement suite and worry about Meg's next appearance. Even though Rae was sticking to the agreement she had with Meg and working on a deathfic, if only to save Nicole, she knew Meg would be back. There'd been something in her eyes as Meg'd used Rae's knife to carve her up, the look that said she would be back for more. Bloodlust like that didn't just fade away, it was driven out or put down, but it never burned out on its own. Rae wasn't sure how to put Meg out of her misery, but she was sure she'd be calling in the cavalry in the form of the Winchesters for it. The problem was Dean and Sam didn't know about the full extent of her deal with the devil's daughter and Rae hadn't had the courage to tell them, yet. She'd tried several times over the duration of their stay, but every time she went to confess the details of her deal, Sam would give her the puppy dog look or Dean would mutter something about how he was going to kill Meg slowly and Rae would lose her nerve. Not only had she been forced to agree to a deathfic, but Meg had also demanded that Meg herself be the 'hero' of the fic and that it had to be horrific. Eventually, because of everyone's concern and her stress levels, she'd snapped at everybody: family and Winchesters alike. And after convincing them all she'd be fine on her own they'd left, finally. However, with them gone, she was not doing so well and was a little more than nervous, to say the least.

"What shall I do tonight? Hmmmm," Rae sat at her desk in front of her beloved much abused laptop surfing the 'net, trying to ignore the paranoia that was slowly choking her to death. "Let's see, damn no new Dooby Gang threads on IMDB. No new clips on Youtube. Nothing on new on fanfic. Geez where is everybody?" She stared down at her phone, wondering idly if 2:30 AM was too late to phone Rob Dionysus, her partner in fanfic crime, and insomnia induced ranting. "No, he'd just hang up on me now and kill me later."

She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, stretching tense shoulders that were aching from being hunched in fear for so long. Rae jerked straight upright as she heard a creak as a door opened. Very quietly, she slipped off her chair and grabbed her baseball bat she kept beside her bed. Ears alert to any further noise, she slid a knife out of her beside drawer and edged over to the partially cracked door of her room, careful to avoid the light spilling out into her games room. Rae nudged the door open and, holding her bat high and ready to swing, she tiptoed out into the hall. She could hear someone sneaking through her kitchen, a gently scuffing of a chair as they passed the table. As the intruder got closer Rae's pulse began to hammer loudly in her ears. Rae quietly counted the steps as they came closer and closer to the corner behind which she was hiding, her hands aching to swing. One, two…

"Psst, Sammy do you think we should have phoned?" Dean hissed at Sam, who followed his older brother through Rae's dark basement apartment. They were checking up on her as they had been doing in secret after she'd kicked them out a few days ago. He and Sam had agreed that Rae needed space, but that they couldn't just leave knowing Meg would be back. So they'd been keeping an eye on her discreetly.

"I've been saying that for the last hour, she's probably cooled down by now and it just doesn't seem very honest to be breaking into her place every night for the last three nights." Sam replied in an equally hushed whisper, silently cursing himself as he nudged one of the chairs in the kitchen. Dean turned to smirk at his younger brother, his eyes just about glowing with amusement in the dark.

"Nicely done Sammy, really stealt-" Dean's eyes rolled up into his head as the bat bounced off the back of his skull.

"Dean!" Sam grabbed his older brother as his legs dropped out from under him.

"Dean? Sam? Shit!" Rae dropped the bat and also grabbed for Dean, her skull colliding with Sam's as they both dove for Dean. The attempted rescues turned into a dog pile with the unconscious Dean at the bottom.

"Ow, damn Sammy you have boney hips!" Rae gasped as she tried to crawl off Dean's inert form with Sam, collapsed body pinning her down. "Gerroff me dude!"

"Sorry Rae, is Dean okay?" Sam's concern for his brother immediate, his own discomfort far less important.

"I'll know as soon as you get the Hell off me!" She growled back, trying to do a semi-push up and get Sam's lanky form off her.

"Sorry." Sam peeled himself off the floor and once on his knees he helped Rae off of Dean, before making sure his brother was okay, or rather as okay as a person could be after being hit in the head with a baseball bat.

"Is he okay?" Rae hovered over Sam who was making sure Dean's skull was still in one piece.

"Thanks God he has a hard head." Sam breathed, finding no fractures. "Dean? Dean? Looks like he's out for the count. You want to give me a hand dragging him to a bed?"

"Sure." Rae grabs his legs while Sam pulls his brother's upper body off the floor, guiding him through Rae's apartment to her bed.

"Wow this is a little awkward but can we put him on the bed?" Sam blushes as he asks, Dean becoming heavier and heavier in his arms.

"Really no where else." Rae mumbles also embarrassed at the situation, them being in her bedroom before no withstanding. "Let me just move the stuff animals."

After clearing the bed of her comfort toys they manage to manhandle Dean on to it without doing him further damage.

"Are you sure he's okay?" Rae asked Sam who was checking his brother's vitals, again, wringing her hands with worry.

"I'm sure the bat didn't help him any but he looks okay, unconscious but okay. Nothing's broken, he's breathing, and his pupils are responding normally, he's just not in at that moment. Come on Rae you know this stuff, why are you freaking out?" Sam felt like shaking the flighty, bundle of nerves beside him.

"I've never hit anyone in the head with a bat before okay? I've tried to avoid fights and violence, I can't even hit people in kickboxing class!" Rae declared indignantl her hands on her hips.

"You take kickboxing?" Sam asked an eyebrow raised sarcastically, as he found it impossible to imagine her in that kind of setting, she was a fanfic writer not a fighter.

"Well after Meg dropped by I decided I should learn how to fight for real and that way next time she drops by I can give back as good as I get."

"Its good to know that you're learning self defence but next time Meg shows up, just run away and call Dean and me." Sam turned back to Dean's still inert form. "Maybe you should write a scene where he wakes up or something, see if that works."

"Wow, write a fic with Dean in my bed? What fangirl wouldn't do that?" Rae replied with more bravado necessary to cover up her fear she may have just killed her friend. Realization dawned over her. "You guys nave never been hurt in the real world have you?"

"Nope, mainly because everyone we visit is happy to see us, weirded out and questioning their own sanity but fairly happy." Sam continued to stare at his older brother willing Dean to wake up with a smart-ass remark about Rae's reception of them. There was silence in the room broken only by Rae's typing and Sam's pacing footsteps.

"There, I just documented everything that happened, from your illegal entry into my apartment to my um, my greeting of you both, then he wakes up and is perfectly fine." Rae turned in her desk chair to watch Dean who remained still on the bed. "Its not working, Sammy!"

Dean's body began to spasm and shake on the bed, his breath a desperate gasping sound. Sam and Rae leapt to the bedside trying to keep his flailing from injuring himself. They were horrified as Dean's spasm continued for what seemed like forever.

"Oh Gods what's happening Sammy?"

"I don't know, he should be-" Sam was cut off as Dean's spasm turned into a laughing fit, which looked much the same as he writhed on the bed.

"Damn you, you scared the Hell out of me!" Sam punched Dean in the shoulder as he sat up, followed by Rae who grabbed a pillow and pummelled him with it.

"You jerk! When did you wake up?" Rae fought the urge to slap Dean; throwing a glance at Sam she could see he was fighting the same urge.

"Dude you suck, you know that right?" Sam grinned like an idiot just happy his brother was okay, though annoyed with Dean's dumb jokes.

"Only when nicely asked." Dean batted his eyelashes melodramatically; he sat up again and rubbed his head ruefully. "Nice swing by the way Rae, really."

"Jerk." Sam muttered quietly, a relieved smile on his face.

"Bitch." Dean threw back, his usual smug grin in place. "Well now that we've all had our laughs and with the promise that Rae won't hit me again?" Rae nodded mutter 'ass' under her breath. "Why don't we grab something to eat? A little pizza maybe? Or you wanna order in?"

Dean bounded out the door, Sam and Rae exchanging an eye roll before following him out.


	10. Now we know why Rae Artemis is Crazy

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

Beta's Note: Wow another chapter already? Yes. Wow Rae must be working hard! No, not really., well in school but not fanfic.This is a guest chapter done by my good friend morning sunlight, she sent it to me out of the blue and I asked her if I could post it under 'Rae Artemis Is Crazy'. She said yes and well here it is! I really like it because she got me down pretty much perfectly! So any and all praise for this chapter is to be directed at her, I had nothing to do with it at all, its all from the brilliant mind of _morning sunlight._

Written: by _morning sunlight._

Beta'd: by Rae Artemis.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter 10: Now we know why 

Rae Artemis is going Crazy...

The lighting in the room was dim as the evening wore on, illuminated only by the flicker of the television, a small lamp on a worktable and the gentle glow from a laptop. At the moment, it was quiet too, the murmur of voices from the TV and the tapping of laptop keys only interspersed by the occasional deep sigh.

Rae was doing her utmost to ignore the deep sighs coming from the couch since her last reprimand actually got the volume on the TV turned down to an acceptable volume and the constant questions had also ceased albeit that she imagined it wouldn't last long.

"Awww, no! That sucks! They shouldn't be allowed to do that..."

Rae looked up briefly wondering what the latest problem was. As she went to turn back, her brain registered more fully what she'd just seen. "Dean, is that...? Are you watching...?"

"Grey's Anatomy, yeah. The chicks are hot, but do you know what they've just done...they killed Denny! How could they do that?"

"You watch Grey's Anatomy?" she said still astonished at this revelation, the relevance of Denny totally escaping her for the minute.

"Yeah..." he sounded slightly defensive, "You got a problem with that?"

"No, no Dean, of course not," she smirked as she turned back to the laptop.

"You gonna talk to me now?"

"No Dean. I told you I'm busy."

"No you're not."

"I am."

"So why did you start the conversation then?" he asked innocently.

"I didn't. You did. You said, "Awww no! That sucks!"

"Yeah, but I wasn't talking to you. I was just saying."

"Dean, I really need to concentrate," she turned her back again.

"Hmph!" She heard as he flopped back against the couch, the sulking ominous in the now quiet room.

This time it was Rae who sighed as she tried to gather her thoughts to plunge on with her composition. She heard the flick-flick-flick of the TV as Dean switched channels repeatedly and she tried to sink back to that point she had been at before his arrival earlier in the evening.

Suddenly his voice interrupted again, "What is it that you're doing exactly?"

"Nothing."

"Then come and talk."

"Okay, it's not nothing, it's just none of your business."

"That's not nice," he snarked. "Anyway, I bet I know what you're doing anyway."

"I bet you don't," slipped out of her lips before she could stop herself, closely followed by, "Shit! I didn't mean that."

"Can't take it back now," he said gleefully, "You accepted the challenge."

"Dean, please be reasonable," she begged.

"We have a bet...what's the wager? Chocolate cake, pancakes or pizza?"

"Fine, pizza! You won't get it ever," she said firmly.

"Ever? Huh! This just got easier, that means I don't even have to get it right first time. This is no problem."

"Dean, if I get the pizza will you leave me alone."

"You're no fun, we're supposed to be playing a game."

Exasperation took over, Dean in this mood was not conducive to Rae finishing anything let alone something that required such a degree of focus, "Dean, where is Sam?"

"Not here."

"I got that bit already. But where is he? Or more to the point, why aren't you with him? Have you two argued?"

"No! Of course we haven't argued. Honestly what do you think we are six? It doesn't take two of us to do what he's doing."

"Which is?"

"He's gone to see _morning sunlight_."

"So...you're not with them because...I thought you and morning Sunlight got on okay?"

"We do, but..."

"But?"

Dean sighed dejectedly this time, "_morning sunlight_ is in Auckland."

"So? Hang on, no she isn't, she's in Chile."

"No she isn't, she's supposed to be in Chile, but the flight has been delayed like, forever. " he said dramatically. "Sam said he would go cheer her up while she waits. Apparently airports are boring and she's almost finished the book she was reading."

"Why didn't you go too? It's not like you actually have to fly to get there...do you?"

"It's an airport. It's boring."

"No Dean, you're boring and you're bored. The airport can't be worse than that. So any other reason?"

"Sam said he'd go with her on the plane, keep her company."

"Oh I see, you know you could sit with them and then just get back the other way, whatever that is..."

"Then she'd know..."

"Know what?"

"That I..."

"Don't like flying. Dean, I would guess she already knows that."

"How?"

"Same way as I do, I saw it on TV."

"What? When?"

"There was an episode which you had to exorcise a guy on a plane. They called it 'Phantom Traveller". It's quite a popular episode."

"So you mean, like all those fanfic writers out there know I don't like flying...there goes my street cred."

"Dean, they've known for ages and it hasn't bothered many of them so far so you're probably okay now."

"Yeah right." the sulk back in his voice.

"And you came here because...?"

"Because you wanted me here."

"No I didn't, not tonight," she said quite firmly.

"You should watch what you say, I could vanish, fade out of existence, forever." his voice sounded fakely sorrowful.

"Get real, what are you on about now?" sometimes Rae wondered how Sam ever made it through a whole day with his brother, particularly when he was in this sort of mood.

"Vanish, never to be seen or heard from again."

"Don't tempt me."

"Don't you remember what happened to Tinkerbell?"

"Tinkerbell?" at least one of them had crossed the borders into insanity, and the fact that Rae still knew there was a border, she counted on that to show it was Dean who had crossed the line.

"Uh-huh. Tinkerbell in Peter Pan."

"Peter Pan! Dude! That...that was when they said they didn't believe in fairies, not when they wanted her to go away. Trust me, I believe in you. You eat enough pizza each time you're here for me to never doubt your existence."

"So it's homework?"

"No. Not homework. What were you doing watching Peter Pan anyway?"

"Sammy was a kid, I had to look after him and make sure he didn't get too frightened by Hook and Tick Tock. Erm, I know. You're writing a story about me and Sam?"

"No definitely not that."

"Story about me, no Sam?"

"Not that."

"You can't be writing about Sam without me?" he said the latest thought with horror.

"Still no, nothing to do with any Winchester of any generation."

There was a pause, just enough time for Rae to read her last sentence and start the new one. "Got it you are betaing for _morning sunlight_. She's been writing while she's been travelling, it's time she got something finished!"

"No, not betaing for _morning sunlight_."

"Betaing for someone else..."

"No."

"Thank you letters for Birthday present?"

"No."

"Late Christmas thank yous?"

"Still No"

"Letter to Father Christmas?"

"Dean, honestly...No!"

"Job application?"

"No."

He went quiet again and his focus seemed to be back on the TV. A few moments later, he said quietly, "There goes my chance of pizza."

"Giving up so soon?"

"I'm out of ideas, I give in, whatcha doing?"

Not telling, she smiled before the smile slid from her face as he cleared the back of the sofa smoothly and turned her laptop to face him.

"Uh, what...You! Really? Huh! I'd never have guessed that. Why? You do know it's not right that you should be doing things like this!"

He flopped back on the couch again, picking up the remote and selecting a channel and focussing on the program. The room went quiet and Rae continued to watch Dean. Satisfied that he was now engrossed in the TV, she contemplated continuing with her writing again, when she heard his voice, "Firefly! She's writing a story about Firefly! Divided loyalties, I bet they don't visit her, not like we do..." She smiled as he sighed again.

He interrupted again a couple of minutes later, "You should concentrate on your work. If you concentrate you finish quickly. _morning sunlight_ told me the other day, she's still waiting for the next chapter of Wicked Little Girls."

THE END


	11. Visitations On A Lakeside

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

WARNING: Possible spoilers for 'All Hell Breaks Loose-Part 1'.

A/N: This was written at the infamous lake as a bright spot for everyone after the episode 'All Hell Breaks Loose-part 1'. I do hope it works or at least lightens the mood a little. morning sunlight came to visit me on her trip so I thought I'd write a chapter to commemorate the event.

Beta'd: by morning sunlight who also gets a character of her own in this chapter as the visiting beta.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter 11: Visitations On A Lakeside

"So, are you up for it?" Dean asked his brother Sam who shuffled his feet uncomfortably as the May wind chilled him, as he was still cold from the last fanfic they had been dragged into.

"I don't know Dean, she'll be seriously pissed if you try this on her, again."

"Yeah, well, I need to have a little fun after that last story, dealing with you dead all day has kind of put me in a bad mood. Pulling a little prank on Rae won't hurt her and will be fun, c'mon Sammy she'll be so happy to see us, she won't be mad." Dean assured Sam, watching Rae hunched over her laptop with her mystery companion. "Who the hell is with her? She never brings anyone here, well Rob came here but I've never seen anyone else." Sam squinted in the darkness trying to make out the person Rae was sitting with.

"I don't know, I didn't think she liked to have other people here. She said it ruined her concentration or something. Well, okay, I'll go along with your joke if only because it will save you suckering me into it." Sam sighed, still a little depressed after a long couple days of being dead or worse slowly dying, the fans just couldn't seem to find any belief that he was going to survive.

"Here's the plan there's some of those Canadian geese down by the water's edge, we'll herd those towards them and then once the geese are in flight we'll rush up behind them and scare the living daylights out of Rae. Whoever she is with will be wondering why she's freaking out. It'll be great Sammy." Dean playfully punching Sam, receiving an eye roll for his over excited, child on a sugar high like behaviour.

Crouching down, they moved through the trees quickly and quietly, deftly avoiding branches. Weaving towards the lake they heard the creative process of writing continuing, with Rae and a familiar voice talking about a story plan. The voices floated down, out of the air, slightly masked by the honking of the geese. Dean signalled to Sam as they came up behind the geese, 1,2,3… Rushing the geese they raced up the slope of the beach, two dark figures charging towards the picnic table on which the two writers sat. Sam pulled up short as a blinding light was aimed at his eyes and Rae and her mystery companion began to laugh. Dean fell into the muddy shore as the light caught him in the eyes; shocked at being caught he nosedived into the ground, the laughter increased.

"Looks like you were right Rae, there were some people lurking in the bushes." Called down a very familiar voice.

"Hey! How about dropping that beam so I don't go blind!" Dean called from his position in the mud, trying to maintain his dignity as best he could.

"Oh sorry." Rae called down, turning the light out, the smug grin apparent in her voice.

Sam helped Dean up, trying to avoid the mud as best he could. Dean of course chose this exact moment to give him a bear hug, coating Sam's front with the sandy muck. They carefully approached the picnic bench, blinking away the shadows the flashlight beam had left in their eyes.

"So how are you guys doing?" The mystery voice asked, the vaguely familiar voice nagging at Sam's mind. "I haven't seen you since San Diego. Do you remember that at all Sammy? You did get pretty smashed that night."

Suddenly the light dawned, literally and figuratively, as the shadowed fled from the moon and the light came back illuminating Ally, Rae's beta also known as 'morning sunlight' to most readers on It had been a while since they'd seen her; it looked like travel had been treating her well, sun tanned, relaxed looking, smiling and generally relaxed. The California sun had lightened her brown, curly hair and she had a healthy tan that enhanced her pale green eyes. However because she had been living in tropical weather for the better part of the last nine months so she was freezing cold and had to bundle up. For everyone else it was a warm May, Wednesday evening for her it was a freezing night.

"What are you doing here?!" Dean burst out before Sam could sputter out his same question.

"Nice to see you too." Ally deadpanned as Rae laughed beside her, falling off the picnic bench in her mirth.

"Sorry, good to see you again, Ally. How has your trip been and when the Hell did you get here?" Dean replied rolling his eyes as Sam grinned at him.

"It's been good, busy but good. I was in B.C. so I thought I'd drop by and finally 'meet' Rae for real. She's been busy showing me around town and since this is the lake that started it all we thought we'd come out here for some inspiration. Sorry I haven't emailed since San Diego but I have been on the run since then and Internet cafés are either hard to find or too expensive to use."

"No worries, I wasn't worried. I wouldn't have blamed you if Sam's stripping had put you off." Dean grinned his patented smirk.

"Stripping?" Rae asked trying to make her eyes wide and innocent and somehow failing.

"I did not strip." Sam firmly stated, his mind desperately replaying the night in San Diego. "At least I don't remember it."

"After all that alcohol I'm surprised you remember meeting up with Ally at all." Dean grinned at Sam whose memory of the night was spotty at best.

"It wasn't that bad Sam, really." Ally assured him as he sat where Rae had been until her fall. Rae slid in beside Sam and Dean sat on the other side of Ally.

"Well? I don't know anything about it so spill! Sammy got drunk? C'mon it had to be funny!" Rae egged on, Sam giving her a push off the table again. Rae walked around to the ground in front of them and sat down like it was story time in class and waited, arms folded resembling a determined four year old.

"Aren't you cold down there in the sand?" Sam asked hoping to avoid a retelling of his drunken exploits, most of which he only blurrily remembered.

"Hmm let's see it all started when we got an email from Ally inviting us to meet up with her on her trip. The only place she was going to have a room to herself was in San Diego so we agreed to drop by and keep her company." Dean began, an evil smile on his lips as Sam sighed gustily.

"I seem to remember saying that if you wanted to you could drop by and maybe I'd spring for dinner depending on my financial standing at the time." Ally dryly corrected.

"Anyway, we dropped by and ordered dinner from the room service menu. Poor bellhop, Sammy here opened the door and of course the kid didn't see him so he thinks the door opens on its own."

"I was trying to be helpful unlike some people who were just being a pain in the ass." Sam shot back, somewhat sulky as he could remember some of the events of the night, or most of them at least.

"He really was. The bellhop accepted my explanation of how the door didn't close completely. I think he was wondering why I had three meals for little old me but he didn't worry after he got his tip. The point of the story is we somehow decided to break into the honour bar-"

"Dean made me do it." Sam jumped in, trying to show Rae how the rest of the story could occur.

"Please Sam, I'm not the one who suggested a drinking game." Dean shot back, deflecting any and all guilt.

"Boys, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves, first we discussed story ideas and worked out the ending to 'Recovery', remember?" Ally verbally jumped in between Sam and Dean who were getting a little ahead of themselves in the story and Rae had begun to look confused as the digression continued. "Eventually it degraded into a drinking game, as someone who shall remain nameless-"

"Ally!" Dean and Sam chorused, causing Rae to raise her eyebrows in question at Ally.

"Well…it seemed like a good idea at the time." She shrugged, as it really had seemed like a good idea at the time.

"So we're playing poker and somehow Sam gets it into his head that it's a game of strip poker." Dean flashed a grin at Rae who giggled; Sam bashfully hung his head and sighed at the memory. "Fortunately I stopped him before he got too far. And this was only on his fourth beer-"

"I'm telling you it had to be my fifth, if not my sixth-" Sam vehemently insisted from the other side of Ally.

"-and after convincing him to keep his clothes on he fell asleep on the bed." Dean concluded ignoring Sam's denial of the fact he was lightweight in the drinking arena.

"So Sammy was snoring on the bed and Dean and I had to wait until he woke up so we watched 'Blues Brothers 2000' on the TV for most of the night." Ally added in, picking up the narrative.

She and Dean had found the movie and watched some, though it was more background noise than anything as they'd conversed long into the night. The last thing she remembered was talking with Dean about his childhood and the movie had some kind of 'Battle of the Bands' going on. She'd woken up the next morning on the couch, a blanket from the bed covering her and a pillow tucked under her head. On the desk was her latest stories' journal with a sincere thank you note from Sam for the use of the bed and a wise crack from Dean about her falling asleep on his shoulder, drooling on him in her sleep.

"Yeah, that was a cool movie, a little outside of the realm of reality but a fun movie." Dean commented, smiling at the memory of the easily duped cops.

"Um, Dean you're a fictitious character brought into reality by the power of crazy fan belief, who hunts demons and other worldly creatures, are you really the person to judge realism?" Rae asked, her face straining not to smile at the irony of his statement.

"Never mind then." Dean muttered rolling his eyes at Rae, who in turn stuck out her tongue showing her maturity or lack thereof. "I had a really rough night, Ally drooled on me when she fell asleep and then I had to deal with a whiney hung over Sammy later that morning. Talk about thankless jobs!"

"Hey, I don't drool!" "I wasn't that drunk!" Rae and Dean smirked at each other as Ally and Sam made claims to their innocence.

"What kind of trouble have you two been up to? Out painting the town red?" Sam asked moving the subject away from embarrassing stories as Dean had a million about Sam when he was younger and was always happy to share them.

"Nope, we've been trying to come up with some new story ideas and jump starting my stalled stories." Rae replied, gesturing to her laptop and Ally's book and flashlight.

"We've also been trying to come up with a cheery ending or tag to that last episode, quite honestly I think that end scene is going to haunt my nightmares for a while." Ally confessed, gingerly putting an arm around Sam's shoulders, comforted that he was there, regardless as to what she'd seen in the episode.

"That was a hard one, some people are pretty morbid to begin with but that one was the start of a really hard week." Dean sighed; looking across the bench at Sam who still had dark circles under his eyes due to lack of sleep and his constant death scenes. Not that Dean's part had been a walk in the park but, well, he could relate to the continuous death scenes and how hard they were to deal with. After 'Faith' had aired people had seemed to kill him every other fic and not cleanly, fanfic authors were talented but pretty damn dark to begin with, give them and death and they were off and running.

"Well, what do you have so far?" Sam asked, rousing from his melancholy with the opportunity not to die in front of him. "Any ideas on how I can not be dead?" He asked hopefully.

"There's always the it was a vision angle?" Rae sighed, not wanting to use such a cliché excuse.

"But its been done far too often." Ally countered.

"What if its not Sam who had the vision?" Dean offered, getting into the rhythm of working with fanfic authors.

"It has to be positive after such a 'kick in the teeth' episode, it has to be a happy ending one because I can't take a death, I just can't." Rae stated, standing up and grabbing her laptop as they got down to work.

Everyone moved around the table as they got down to work, attempting to create a flash of light in such a dark moment. The sounds of typing and creativity filled the night air and the geese flew away as they recognized Dean's voice, remembering him and his love of chasing them.

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A/N 2: Sorry to anyone who thinks its saccharine sweet but I needed a little hope and happiness after 'All Hell Breaks Loose-Part 1' so I had to! Let me know what you think, too sweet? Too cheesy? R&R and let me know.


	12. New Friends

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: Okay. Looks like I wrote pretty much all of this chapter. I think the plan was that both of us would write it, but Rae decided she didn't want to touch what I had, so I smoothed out my ideas, and here it is. Just to clarify, I'm Ellen, Rachel is my younger sister, and Dana is a character from my fan fiction "Up North". So, I hope you guys enjoy!

B/N: This chapter was written by griffin-girl02, all I can claim is that my name shows up after the title. Oh and for the record its not that I didn't want to touch the chapter its just it was too well done to mess with so I didn't.

Written: by griffin-girl02

Beta'd: by Rae Artemis

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Chapter 12: New Friends

"Aw come on Rae you can't have that much homework." Dean sighed as Rae continued to ignore him, as stead fasted read 'A Room Of One's Own' for her women's literature class. Looking up from the book she gave him a shrug.

"It just so happens I do and while I would love to play video games and steal some writing ideas I HAVE to read this or my professor will skin me alive."

"Come on Rae, it can't be that important. Last time we visited you were going clubbing, so you can't possibly be that busy now." Dean pressed on, looking at Sam who had wisely decided to stay out of it.

"Its because of last weekend that I'm in this bind! After my Saturday night and the resulting hangover I just couldn't concentrate on my homework on Sunday okay? If you'll recall it was a long, crazy night and so now I have to get to work! Why don't you got visit Ellen? She'd love to see you."

"Who?"

"griffin-girl02, she'd love to meet you guys, I've been talking to her about you and apparently she's had a similar thing with another character." She gave Sam a look of desperation. "Please Sam? I really have to get this finished, so please?"

"Sure Rae, c'mon Dean, it'll be fun." Sam walked over to his brother who was sprawled on Rae's couch, very bored.

"Fine Sammy, let's go find someone who will appreciate us." Dean loudly stated for Rae's benefit, sticking his tongue out, as he got off the couch striding for the door.

"That'll be the day." Was Rae's deadpan response as they literally faded out of sight walking through the doorway.

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Sam and Dean materialized outside Ellen's door. Muffled bangs and curses came from within. The brothers looked at each other, then Dean cautiously opened the door, and immediately tripped over a pile of clothes.

"Wow," he muttered to Sam, looking around. "Her room may actually be worse than Rae's."

Ellen was standing at her desk, tossing things onto the bed behind her.

"Where the hell are they!" She didn't notice Sam and Dean. Possibly because her headphones were loud enough for the music to be heard from across the room. Finished tearing apart the desk, she ducked under it and began flinging papers out of her way.

"Oh come on. Stupid ghost. Where did you put them?"

The boys walked over so they were standing behind her. Dean dodged a fairly hefty textbook.

"You're sure she can see us?" He asked Sam.

"She should. Rae said she talks to Dana."

"Well, let's see," he tapped Ellen's back, causing her to jump and bang her head on the underside of the desk.

"Holy Jesus! Don't do that!" She said, rubbing her head with one hand and continuing to search with the other.

"What are you looking for?"

"My sketching pencils. And yes Dad, I know what you're gonna say. If I kept my room tidy I'd – wait...that sounded like..." she crawled backwards out from under the desk and looked up at the two smiling Winchesters. "Holy shit... It's Sam and Dean." Her face cracked into a grin. "Sweet. It's about time you two showed up. Rae sent you did she? Man, I've been bored as hell the last little while. You know Dana skipped out on me? She hasn't talked to me since I destroyed her car except to tell me she wants a convertible, which she's _not_ getting. How's Rae doing by the way, after her run in with Meg?"

"She's surviving, a bit jumpy still," Dean rubbed the back of his head, wincing a little. "But I think she'll be okay."

" I hate Meg. How would you two like to kick her ass in my next story?"

"Isn't that a little dangerous? Considering ..."

"Don't worry, I'll probably never write it. I don't write half of my stories past the first paragraph or so 'cause I run out of ideas. But even if I did, I think I can take care of myself. I mean, I'm never more than a five minute walk away from anyone, and I can run pretty fast and scream pretty loud when I have to. And I never go outside, especially after watching you guys on TV" She shuddered. " And as for the taunts, some of my _friends_ are meaner than she is."

"So, you don't think you're crazy? We don't have to convince you we're real." Sam said.

"Nope. Like I said, I talk to Dana, but usually I don't see her, I just hear her. Ugh! What the hell did you do with them?!?" she yelled at the air. "Oh, screw it." She grabbed a dull pencil no longer than her finger and began drawing furiously in her sketchbook, not wanting to loose her idea. "Maybe you guys could get rid of a ghost for me while you're here? I'm pretty sure it's a younger boy. He likes hiding my stuff. It's frigging annoying." She finished the drawing and looked up. "Though I suppose it won't do much good. I'll probably just have another one float over from the cemetery back there, or a fetch from the hospital across the street. They can be just as bad. At least all this one does is move my stuff. The other ones have all enjoyed scaring the crap out of me." She threw the sketchbook on the floor, then leaned over the side of her bed and pulled out binder that contained her stories, and looked like it was about to explode from all the paper.

"So, are you two enjoying you're time up here in Canada with Dana?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah... I guess." Dean answered.

"Enough to forgive me for what I'm gonna make you do in a chapter 13?" she directed this at Dean

"Why? What am I going to do?"

"Can't tell ya, but I do know you won't like it."

"Great."

"Anyway..." she continued. "I hear you guys like talking about story ideas?"

It was only about ten minutes later that they heard a faint rumbling come up the stairs.

"Oh shit, here she comes."

"Who?"

"My sister Rachel. Hope that she can't see you. If she does, I don't know what'll happen."

Rachel slammed full force into the door, knocking it against the wall.

"Go away," Ellen said without looking up.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Stuff. Go away."

"Like what?"

"Writing. Go away."

"Whatcha writin' about?"

"Stuff. Go away."

"Can I read it?"

"No, you wouldn't like it. Go away."

"Why not?

" 'Cause it's a Supernatural fan fiction. Go away."

"Blech. I don't like that show."

"I know. Go away."

"Wanna play a game?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"YES!!! GO AWAY!!!!"

Rachel swung the door a bit, and then closed it with the upper part of her body still in Ellen's room.

"Help! I'm stuck!"

"No your not. Go away."

"Help – "

"GO AWAY!!!!" Ellen threw a pillow at her, narrowly missing Dean, and Rachel ducked behind the door, then opened it again. Ellen glared at her.

"Don't you have to get ready for your friend's birthday party?"

"Yeah," she slammed the door and went to her room, which was right next to Ellen's.

"Be glad you didn't have to grow up with _that_." She said to Dean. "You guys interested in some candy?" she reached down and opened a drawer under her bed, pulling out bags of skittles, M&M's, chocolate bars, and the like.

"You've got quite the stash there," Dean commented.

"My mom doesn't let me eat candy very much. She seems to think I'm over weight. So I stock up when I can and hide it here. Hey! There they are!" she pulled out her box of sketching pencils. "I don't think he's ever hidden them there before."

They spent the next hour talking, interrupted twice. Once by her mom saying she was going shopping and would be home around 5, and then by her dad saying goodbye before going to work. Despite all the candy though, Sam's stomache growled loudly, causing his face to turn a deep shade of crimson.

"You're lucky nobody's home," Ellen said laughing. "It means we can go get some food."

The three of them traipsed downstairs, and walking behind Ellen, Sam suddenly realized exactly how short she was. He poked Dean.

"Hey, we finally found someone shorter than you," he smiled. Ellen turned on him.

"I would have you know," she growled. "That 5'2" is _not_ short. It is _normal_. _You _are just abnormally tall." She turned and opened the cupboard to get out plates and glasses. "Besides, I'd rather be short than – Damn." Today was one of the rare days that no one had done the dishes, which meant the only glasses were on the top shelf, which Ellen couldn't reach. She turned around and smiled. "Sam. You want to be a friend?"

"You were saying?" He easily reached up and got the glasses.

"Shut it," she turned and opened the fridge. "Sorry, no beer or pizza. We have leftover roast beef and mashed potatoes from last night. Some random other food. But don't eat that piece of cheesecake. It's my dad's, and he'll kill you. Or, actually me, 'cause he doesn't know you exist"

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The next day, Ellen decided to send an e-mail to Rae. They had had to clean up quickly the day before, so that there would be no evidence of the extra visitors other than some missing food. This was, as usual, blamed on her dad, who, as usual, denied ever touching it. The conversation was then left at that with Ellen, as usual, the only one who really knew what had happened to the food.

Hey Rae! Thanks so much for sending the boys over. I love you for it. I wrote down what happened, thought you might want to use it in your story.

_Ellen_

She was just about to hit send when her father yelled at her from the kitchen.

"Ellen! Did you eat my cheesecake?!?!"

Ellen sighed angrily. "Goddamit Dean." She grumbled, and added to the end of her message.

_PS – Tell Dean he'll be spending the entirety of my next fic on an airplane._


	13. Don't Talk To Me About Conversation

Disclaimer: So Dean and Sam aren't mine unfortunately and Rae Artemis doesn't belong to me either... but she is my friend and she didn't mind me pinching her for the story! Any chance to chat with Sam and Dean that girl! Also this is yet another idea that kind of stemmed from reading her Rae Artemis is Crazy series.

Summary: Dean and Sam try to cheer a friend up at the top of a mountain... certain elements of this story really happened... I'll leave you to work out which...

Thanks to Rae Artemis for all your help

Beta's Note: So this is Morning Sunlight's story which is kinda in this style so I'm swiping it and adding it as a chapter. Everything but this note is her's and is brilliant so enjoy and remember please review her's which is at URL:  talk to me about conversation

Dean looked out over the barrier at the gondolas slowly rising up the side of the snow-covered mountain, flitting in and out of view between the trees. Rae Artemis had said that today was the day. He looked round at the crisp white snow, pristine and beautiful. There was an amazing tranquillity and stillness at the top of the mountain, surprising when he looked round at the number of tourists visiting Sulphur Mountain in May. There was a constant stream of them emerging from the shelter where the gondolas came in.

He looked round again at Sam and smiled. His brother was shivering and hadn't come anywhere near the edge of the walkway. It was a shame he was so cold, bizarre though, because apart from the one spot just over the way, where the wind seemed to whistle through, Dean didn't find it cold at all. In fact he was surprised the snow wasn't melting and pouring off the mountain top, it was so pleasant today.

Mind you, looking at it the other way, it was quite fortunate that for the minute, Sam's attention was taken entirely by how cold he was, because if not… Yeah, if he'd actually ventured for a walk around, he might have noticed a very distinct lack of any significant hoof prints up here. So yep, in the grander scheme of things, Dean had told a small white lie… or maybe it wasn't quite so small. Yeah, truth be told a possessed elk… well he hadn't really expected Sam to fall for it but there you go… and here they are at the top of the mountain supposedly casing the joint to protect the unsuspecting tourists.

Dean grinned to himself again, after all Rae had also said Sam wouldn't fall for such a ridiculous story and even though he'd thought he was on to a loser, he'd bet her two bags of M&Ms, he could suck Sam into it. So he was the Master of Deception and better still, he would shortly be two big bags of M&Ms richer. After all, Rae had pointed out, elk don't climb that high up the mountain preferring to stay on the lower reaches where there was more to eat, they weren't inclined to go up above the tree line. Soon… he figured… the truth would be revealed about their trip to the top of the mountain.

Rae and he had been talking late into the previous night after she had introduced he and Sam to the joys of "Fin du monde"… way out of Sammy's league that one… it hadn't taken him long to fall asleep, softly humming, Reo Speedwagon's 'Keep on Loving you' distinctly out of tune which Dean had managed to capture on the camera phone and giggling like the kids they still were at heart, they'd already uploaded it on to Rae's computer so it was safe from Sam's trigger happy delete finger.

Rae had told him how she and Morning Sunlight had been chatting on Messenger late the previous evening and how Morning was reaching the end of her tether and was working on different methods for committing murder. Dean's first reaction was to check that she hadn't suddenly decided to kill either him or his brother off in a new story, because she was going right down to the bottom of his list of people to visit if she was or maybe straight to the top so he could put her out of her delusional state… he hadn't finished deciding, but no, apparently, she was working on just hurting them and fixing them up again as usual, no killing in the latest work. So the murder research then… Dean thought of the generally easy going Morning Sunlight, even more chilled than normal as she'd been travelling for so long. Providing her luggage turned up at each destination and she could find a can of coke and something vaguely edible, she tended to be a happy soul. Not this time according to Rae, which was a worry. Here she was trekking round Canada, her favourite place after home, the one she'd been dying to get to all year, regardless of how much she liked all the other places she'd been and now she was murderous… hell it didn't sound right at all.

"So what's gone wrong?" he'd asked Rae. The answer had surprised him… room-mate… well he'd seen some of the people she'd shared rooms with over the course of the year… yep, some of them had been weird to put it mildly… there was the girl who said dude at the beginning and end of every sentence, which Dean had to say began to grate after a while; the woman who didn't like foreigners, and Dean had agreed with Morning on that one … what was she travelling for if she didn't like people from anywhere else in the world; then there'd been the girl who had to talk to her boyfriend at home four times a day and send multiple texts in between… she never seemed to have any time to see anything on her travels, always worrying about when the next phone call would come in and whether she'd got enough signal, credit and charge left on her phone; there'd been the woman who had left her husband at home and was busy looking for a replacement, because if she could find someone better well…. "it was all good!" or the really odd American, who was almost sixty and attending a bondage convention because it was safer than dating… After that comment, Dean hadn't been surprised to find that Morning was a little wary of unknown American men! So what could the latest room-mate be like if Morning was actually contemplating murder?

Rae's explanation was that "she talks". Dean couldn't see a problem with that… in fact he couldn't imagine Morning having a problem with that… then he looked at Rae again to see her grimace of sympathy for their friend. He pressed for details. Apparently the latest room mate talked non-stop. She would talk from when she got up in the morning, always about herself, she would ask questions only to interrupt and tell her own story, on the bus Morning had no choice but to sit with her and she would talk there, all day regardless of what Morning was doing… watching the scenery, listening to the trek leader's commentary, writing in her notebook. She talked through meals, through TV programs in the evening, over other people's conversations. Then finally she would fall asleep and Morning would be granted a few moments' respite… but it was only a few moments because then she would start to snore until she rolled over and started to talk in her sleep. Morning was being driven crazy by lack of sleep and constant conversation and so the normally friendly girl was now seriously contemplating murder according to Rae. The gravest sin though was when in desperation Morning had climbed on board the bus with her MP3 player already plugged in and turned up loud enough to block a banshee's wail and had settled down into her seat with her notebook, only to have her headphones removed so that the aforementioned talkative room-mate could speak to her. She'd barely contained herself then. Dean wondered if the room-mate was actually still alive! It was followed by the sudden panicked thought that maybe Morning would not be coming today at all if she'd been arrested for murder! It wasn't often that Morning Sunlight lost her temper but… he imagined it would probably make it all the more impressive.

So now he was stood at the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff on a glorious day, waiting to cheer her up because supposedly this was today's stop on the tour and now he'd got his fingers crossed that the girl's better nature would prevail, he didn't really want to visit her in prison. Sammy would soon perk up too when he found out she was here. He might even stop sitting there shivering like Jell-O. He gradually became aware of the peace being destroyed by a loud voice, disturbing the tranquillity, walking along the walkway toward him. He turned and cast an angry glare toward the culprit, forgetting that the likelihood of her being able to see him was minimal. She wandered on, ignorant of his disapproval. He walked back to Sam to check his brother was okay.

"Any sign yet, Dean?"

"No Sam, no sign of any elk, possessed or otherwise. You should maybe walk around a bit, it might warm you up. Just don't go that way, the wind whistles through that spot."

"Just hurry up and work it out Dean, so we can go somewhere warm."

Leaving his sulking, shivering brother for the minute, he walked towards where the tourists were coming out and there she was walking towards him. She looked calm enough as she manoeuvred through the crowds looking for a quieter spot, camera already out and ready. All of a sudden, she broke into a smile. Moving quicker, she negotiated the last few people to reach his side. "Hey you. What are you doing here?" she said quietly, looking round hoping nobody was watching her.

"Came to see you… brought Sammy too, but he's whining about the cold, oh yeah err… he doesn't know that we came to see you… I told him we were on a job. It's pretty cool up here, the view is amazing. You'll like it. We should have a walk round."

"Let's say hi to Sam first. Cheer him up. Are you going to lead the way?" Dean did just that guiding her through the crowd. "Hey Sam," she said creeping up behind the shivering figure. "You feeling the cold there?"

"Morning? What are you doing here?"

"Taking in the scenery. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Don't know… it's cold as far as I can see."

"So what about you? What are you doing up here?"

"Job. Rae put us on to it… there's a possessed elk taking down tourists."

"A possessed elk? Sam… you are kidding me!"

"No, Rae told us all about it. It started just before the end of the last tourist season, an elk that chomps down on certain types of tourist, pounds them with its hooves and then sucks the marrow from their bones."

She chuckled, "An elk! I mean an elk that chased the tourists I could believe, but you're telling me that there's an elk up here that likes the marrow from certain types of tourist bones! You'll tell me it tap dances as it pounds them with its hooves next. Seriously…"

Sam huffed, not used to Morning Sunlight laughing at him, "This is serious… this is our job, I think we know what we're doing after all this time you know."

"Yeah, well you know what Sam… I think one of you knows exactly what you're doing and the other one I'm not so sure at the minute…" She nodded in Dean's direction to where he was wearing a face-splitting grin and holding on to his ribs as he tried not to laugh out loud.

"Dean… there's no elk is there?" His brother shook his head, laughter rippling out of him, in small waves. "Then what are we doing here?" Dean still couldn't bring himself to speak, so he just nodded his head in Morning's direction. "We've come to see Morning… so why didn't you say that? Why the pretence?"

"Would you have come knowing it might be snowing?" Dean said in self-defence, "We both know you hate the cold and snow."

"Well, I'll leave you two to sort this little situation out, while I go look at the scenery." Morning shrugged off her coat and hooked it over her bag, before picking her camera back up ready to set off to explore.

"Hey, I'll come with you. Sammy, you want to come too?" Sam just muttered a comment about staying where he was and conserving heat. Morning retrieved her coat and draped it over his lap to try and give him a bit more warmth, although given his height it wasn't going to make any real difference to him. He gave her a conciliatory smile.

She and Dean wandered along the boardwalk, admiring the view, spotting the birds and ground squirrels as they moved around looking for food. She felt Dean tense alongside her as they passed a group of people looking down to the Bow River. "What's up?" she asked.

"It's so nice up here and there's all these people, yet it's still quiet, except for that one voice that is just disturbing everything. That woman needs a volume control and every time I've seen her she's talking non-stop and no one else can get a word in edgeways. Have you seen the look on that guy's face next to her? He looks like he could throttle her."

"Aaah!" she nodded. "He probably could and I understand totally…. She's my room-mate." She smiled at him, "You think this is bad… trust me… she's conserving energy in the cold, she talks a whole lot more and a whole lot louder when she's in the warm."

"Your room-mate! Rae said you were contemplating murdering her."

"The thought had crossed my mind, but don't worry, I won't, although the temptation to smother her in her sleep is pretty strong, I'm pretty sure I'll manage the next few days. I'm going to catch up with Rae again in a few days. Oh and I've discovered that so long as I say things like 'Really!' and 'uh-huh' every now and then I can more or less get away with not listening to what she's actually saying. Does that make me sound like a really awful person? I mean I don't do it all the time, sometimes I tune in, it's just it doesn't make much difference whether I listen or not because I don't get to say anything anyway."

"If Sammy talked that much, I'd gag him."

"Yeah, but he's your brother, you can get away with things like that… I can't. Anyway, you probably wouldn't, you'd just turn the volume up in the Impala and listen to some really good music."

"Yeah, probably. I saw you'd got your headphones in as you came out, what ya listening to?" She fished her headphones back out from her pocket and handed them to him, pressing play so it picked up where it left off. He nodded in approval as the sound of Blue Őyster Cult's "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" erupted through his ear drums. "Good taste as always, girl."

She gave him another grin. "Of course, I'm also keeping as an option, putting my headphones on her and blasting her eardrums with a bit of something… maybe 'Silence is Golden' by The Tremeloes, although I don't think I've got that on there and it might be a little subtle for her, or maybe Green Day's 'Give Me Novacaine', think that's on there somewhere."

"How about Lacuna Coil's 'Enjoy the Silence'? Seem to remember you having that…" They laughed at the prospect of playing her a whole list of music to convey their current thoughts on the matter.

"So it is truly awesome up here," she said as she snapped off yet another round of photos. Dean posed for a few which made her smile even wider. "Well, I don't know about you, but I think it's time for ice-cream," she said. "See if they do hot chocolate to warm up poor old Sammy. I'll go in and get them, you two better find somewhere to sit where we are less conspicuous than Sam's current spot, because vanishing ice-cream is so not going to be easy to explain. I know what occurred to me… why has no one actually sat on Sam? I mean if they can't see him, and there isn't that much seating up here… how come no one looks at where he's sitting and thinks 'hmm looks like a good spot to sit and watch the world go by.'?"

"Don't know, never really thought about it. I guess it's like when we walk they tend to go round us, rather than through us, maybe it's an edge of awareness thing, you know like some people sense spirits and others don't, not enough to see what's there but a feeling that stops you doing that." They made their way back up to where Sam was sitting, where Dean went ahead to creep up on his brother and make him jump. When Morning caught up, he said "I've got another one for you…'Brain Damage' by Pink Floyd."

"Well, I'm definitely suffering from some of that. How about 'Our lips are sealed' by the Fun Boy Three," she responded.

"Even better." Sam looked at the exchange and wondered what the two of them were talking about this time.

"So Sam, we're having ice cream. Want some?" Both Dean and Morning laughed as the younger Winchester shuddered at the suggestion of the frozen confectionery. "Okay, hot chocolate, I'll see if they've got some of that. What do you reckon?"

"Sounds good," he smiled, relishing the thought of the sweet warmth it would bring to his insides.

"So you two, go find somewhere to sit where we can catch up without everyone thinking I've lost it completely and started talking to myself and I'll go find the ice cream and chocolate." She walked towards the shelter to see what she could find.

"So Dean, what's with the music titles?" Sam asked his brother as they wandered looking for somewhere quieter to sit. Dean explained about the idea of putting the talkative room-mate into headphones and playing certain types of music until she got the message. "Geez and I thought it was bad sharing a room with you…" Sam left the sentence hang with a smirk as his brother turned abruptly to give him an indignant look.

It didn't take Morning Sunlight long to catch up with them and while Sam inhaled the heat and sweetness of the hot chocolate before even starting to drink it, his brother and friend smiled at him with sympathy. The two of them meanwhile sat in just hoodies soaking up the sun as it bounced off the snow.

"Well, it's been really good to catch up with the two of you, I probably ought to start making my way back down before I miss the bus to our next stop!" she said reluctantly a while later.

"We'll walk you back over," said Dean, standing up and retrieving her coat from his brother and holding it out for her with a smile.

The three of them wandered amiably back through the crowd and were just saying their goodbyes when a shout went up on the other side of the walkway, "Oooh! look at that elk, what's it doing?" The three of them shared a shocked glance before pushing through the crowd carefully to see the unexpected elk.

Reaching the barrier ahead of the boys, Morning had a shocked expression on her face when she turned to look back at them, mouth open speechless. Dean had dived for the barrier worried that his joke had backfired and like the tulpa at the hell house he had somehow conjured a possessed elk… only to see… something that he was not expecting… he was pretty sure that that was… Sam was the first to regain the power of speech, although his first word didn't make him sound that much more with it than the other two, "What the…? That's not an elk!"

He'd turned to Morning Sunlight for confirmation and she was now grinning in agreement. "Isn't that a…?" Dean had started to say. Looking round the crowd, they were all looking at the same person in astonishment… It was Morning Sunlight's room-mate still excitedly raving about being the first to spot an elk.

Morning Sunlight turned away with a huge grin, saying "Yep, it's definitely a mountain goat, but I can definitely last the rest of the trip with this moment etched in my mind and the look on everyone else's face. I might even put her right later… figure I'll let her show off a bit longer first though!"

The three walked back to the gondolas, where with a quick hug and a promise to catch up again soon, maybe even at Rae's when Morning got there, Morning got in a gondola and left. Just before the gondola set off, Sam leant in and said, "Try 'The sound of silence' by Simon and Garfunkel" and the three of them laughed again.


	14. Graveyards Are Killer

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: 'This is why I haven't been writing much this summer, because I have been working two jobs and anytime I have time I sleep.' Okay I originally wrote most of this in July but while it is true I was busy back then I am also busy now, with school and my job. Anyhow I want to say sorry and that this is just one of many half finished RAIC stories that will eventually be finished, just not quite yet.

Beta'd: Morning Sunlight who is far too patient with my lack of time management skills.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Chapter 14: Graveyards Are Killer

"She's not here." Sam declared for what seemed like the billionth time. Dean continued to prowl around Rae's basement suite, reading scraps of paper in an attempt to narrow down where Rae could be.

"I know." Dean snapped back tersely, clenching his jaw.

"She could be out with friends." Sam suggested, taking a seat in Rae's favourite green chair.

"No."

"How do you know she's not?"'

"Her answering machine is full of messages asking her out for a movie night, etc. She's not out and she hasn't been home in a while."

"And how do you figure that, Watson?" Sam shot back stretching out in the comfy chair, suddenly aware why Rae always claimed it. "You're the psychic now?"

"No." Dean finally looked at Sam, annoyed by all the questions. "Her fridge is empty, her cat is starved for attention and her game of Zelda, which she was playing last time we saw her, hasn't changed at all."

"Really? Wow! That I can't believe, she was so into it."

"Yeah, I'd say that's the most worrying fact of all. That girl loves her video games."

"Where could she be?" Sam pondered from the chair, watching Dean pace around the suite.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, Sammy." Dean shot back, a mocking smile pulling at his lips.

"You don't supposed Meg…" Sam trailed off unable to finish the possibility.

"No, after what Rae did to Meg in the club, I think she'll be laying low for a while." Dean and Sam both smiled in remembering the expression on Meg's face as Rae had banished her.

"I guess that means…we'll have to do that thing you hate."

Dean sighed emphatically as Sam tried to hide his grin, not only was Dean afraid of flying, he also had developed a fear of their ability to materialize near whomever they were trying to find. It occasionally turned out badly, such as materializing half in a wall or in some very weird places. Apparently it was too ghostly for Dean's taste, he loathed to do it and avoided it whenever possible.

The two materialized in a large warehouse, bustling with activity and near deafening noise.

"Where are we?" Sam muttered wondering how they had messed up their destination.

"WHAT?" Dean bellowed beside him.

"I said, 'Where are we?'" Sam repeated louder, gesturing around them, ending in a shrug.

"I don't know, but we should move." Dean was looking over Sam's shoulder, a strange expression on his face.

"Huh?" Without further warning Dean barrelled into Sam a second before a baby forklift flew by the exact spot he'd been standing. Sam yelped as his elbow met the cement floor.

"Let's find Rae and get out of here." Dean suggested as he gave Sam a hand getting up.

"Good idea, that was too close." Sam muttered, rubbing his now sore elbow.

The warehouse was gargantuan so they decided to begin at one end and work their way to the other. Half an hour later they were still searching and slowly going deaf from the overwhelming noise level.

"Dean, we've been here before." Sam sighed, pointing out the familiar stacks of boxes.

"What? No we haven't." Dean said looking around, sure his sense of direction had deserted him.

"We have. I recognize that stack of baby food over there."

"Damn, this place is confusing." Dean said staring up at the huge towers of boxes, the constant drone of the conveyor belts beginning to wear on his nerves.

"Dean, we may have to do that thing you don't like again." Sam managed with a straight face as Dean winced at the suggestion.

"No, I'm not a fan of it. It is not happening. And that is final." Dean crossed him arms. "I mean it. End of story, no how, no way!"

"Okay McCoy." Sam smirked back, dodging Dean's halfhearted punch.

"Dude I'm so not McCoy I'm Kirk, I mean think of the chicks."

"Dr. McCoy was afraid of transporters like-" Sam had to sidestep out of a baby forklift's path again, which cut off his sentence.

"Whatever Spock." Dean growled back, aggravated by the noise and the endless aisles of cans, jars and other food product containers that went on forever.

"Well, if you want to wander around here for the next billion years…" Sam sighed, his shoulders dropping dramatically.

"Fine, bitch." Dean shot back, the noise and the desire to find Rae all winning out over his dislike of the creepy ghost thing.

"Jerk." Sam smirked back as he closed his eyes and concentrated on Rae as hard as he could. Sam could almost hear her, it sounded like she was singing a song. Sam opened his eyes to find Rae down one of the aisle in the warehouse, singing to herself.

Rae was dressed in steel-toed boots, beat up jeans, a slightly ripped black t-shirt, with a black bandana holding back her hair, which had been braided into pigtails. She was also covered in a fine layer of dust, which while it was all over was thick enough on her hands to turn them almost black. Rae was staring intently at a sheet of stickers and apparently having found the one she wanted, placed a sticker on the box and then put the box on a conveyor belt that ran down the aisle.

Conspicuous by their absence were her headphones. Rae had yet to notice them as she continued on with her picking of boxes. Dean and Sam were within a few meters of her before she noticed them.

"Oh, geez! Don't sneak up on me like that." She quietly yelled, catching the box of strawberry jam she'd fumbled at the sight of them.

"What?" Dean shouted, feigning deafness, his hand cocked to his ear.

"Yeah, I know it's loud-" Rae began.

"And dirty." Sam cut in, making his point by wiping dirt off her cheek.

"And hard work, well that or you're a sissy, which knowing you…" Dean smirked as Rae narrowed her eyes at him, fighting not to put her hands on her hips.

"Yes it is all of that, but it is also three dollars over minimum wage and being a graveyard shift means I can hold on to my movie store job too." As Rae gave her speech, she continued her work.

"You're working two jobs? Is that why you're not writing?" Sam asked, absently wiping his hand on his jeans. "Is that why you're never home?"

"No. I've just become anti-social." Rae rolled her eyes at him. "I've got to work two, my car died, rent went up and school dues are looming." She gave a noncommittal shrug. "You know the usual."

"You know its times like these I love being a figment of mass imagination." Dean smugly commented to Sam, turning away from Rae. She took the opportunity to smack him in the back of the head with ten pounds of flour, which exploded over him, making him look like a surprised ghost.

"Hey!" Dean turned back to Rae who had continued her work further down the aisle.

"Sorry, I can't stop I need to finish this pallet before my 4 AM break." Rae yawned widely, stretching her sore back. "You guys need something?"

"We were worried about you. Your apartment seemed rather empty and so we were afraid you had gotten yourself into trouble." Sam replied apologetically, while deftly avoiding a flour covered hug from Dean.

"I never get myself into trouble, dad." Rae shot back, as she vaulted the conveyor belt to get the shelves on the other side. "I just sometimes find myself in more interesting circumstances."

"What time are you off and when can we hang out?" Sam asked, getting to the point as Dean shook off most of the flour.

"I'm off at 7 AM and I'm going home to sleep for a few hours before my movie shift starts then I work there then I'm off, then…well you get the idea." Rae shook her head to reboot her tired brain. "Um, I've got a whole day off in a week, on the ninth, so if you guys drop by anytime after 4 PM I'm free." Rae held up a hand in warning. "Not before 11 okay? The times I can sleep I really want to."

"Sounds cool, can we expect the usual in culinary delights?" Sam smiled to take the sting out of his slightly sarcastic words.

"Actually I thought I might cook real food for once." Rae grimaced at the memory of all the pizza she'd had in recent weeks. "It would be a refreshing change."

"What's wrong with pizza?" Dean muttered as he and Sam, left Rae's work area. "Hey you need any help with that pallet?"

"How would I explain to the boys floating bags? I mean the guys are weird and kinda insane but not quite that much." Rae shrugged but smiled to show she appreciated the offer.

"Well don't work too hard there Pippi Long Stocking." Dean called as he and Sam took the stairs out of the tower.

"See you soon?" Sam called back to Rae, throwing in the puppy dog look for good measure.

"You guys are top of my list." Rae smiled reassuringly, as they trudged away. "Well after shower, and sleep that is."

"Your dedication is touching really." Dean smirked, ducking and fading into nothing as Rae aimed a scrunched up ball of paper at him.

"Jerk." She muttered quietly.

"Bitch." Rae chuckled as the word whispered over the conveyor belt noise, turning back to her job and actually praying for her college courses to start again.

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A/N2: Again my most sincere apologies, I'm just so SWAMPED! It is 2:30 in the morning and I'm just finally getting this up. I will try and do better in the future but until I grad life is going to be busy no matter what, so please bear with me.


	15. Hiatuses Are Hell

"Where's your computer

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: This came about due to the fanfic written after last season's finale and I finally have the guts to write it. Please understand this isn't an attack on anyone who enjoys these stories, it is merely how I think Dean and Sam would feel about what was written. Also apologies for it being so short but I've got the other chapter almost ready to go so I thought I'd post this before the 18th.

Beta'd: morning sunlight gave her wondrous talents to this chapter in the form of support and suggestions that pushed me onward.

Thanks to: griffen-girl02 aka Ellen, thanks for taking the time to read it over and throw a couple good plot points my way.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Hiatuses Are Hell

"Where's your computer?" Dean asked as he popped into existence beside Rae on the concrete picnic table.

"Whaidshfdskjhgio!" Rae shrieked as she jumped sideways off the table, overturning her electric lantern as she landed in a heap on the damp lakeshore.

"Nice." Dean chuckled, as he leaned back on the cold tabletop, staring at the far shore of the lake, his eyes growing distant.

"Jerk." Sam muttered as he literally materialized out of the dark, having appeared just in time to see Dean and Rae's interaction. He leaned over Rae, helping her up from her crash landing.

"What? All I did was ask her a question." Dean protested his innocence, attempting his version of Sam's patented puppy dog eyes.

"Argh!" Rae groaned as Sam's strong grip lifted her off the ground and off her feet. "Geez when did you get so comfy with the 'ghosting'? I thought you hated it?"

"Hey I've spent the last long while as either a ghost, a demon, or just in plain old Hell." Dean levelled mildly unbalanced eyes at her. "I'm just happy to be here, even if I do have to travel around like a spook." He chomped nervously on his gum, left leg twitching slightly as he stared into the distance again.

"Sam, could I speak with you?" Rae gave Dean a bright, cheery smile. "Over here?"

Leaving Dean suddenly and oddly still on the bench, staring at the lake, his face blank. Rae stared at the silhouette, not sure what was going on but quite certain she didn't like it.

"What the Hell is going on with him Sam?" Rae hissed, bringing her worried gaze to Sam, who stood with his hands shoved into his pockets and his head slumped forward. "I saw you guys little more than two weeks ago, what happened to him?"

"Rae, you last saw us just over a month ago and it's been a hard month." Sam sighed and scrubbed at his face, which Rae noticed was unshaven and hollow. "After that damn season finale it was okay for a little while. People wrote stories that it was only a vision or a dream or something like that. But pretty soon the writers were accepting it." Sam almost spat 'accepting'. "They began to detail his Hell, torture him or demonize him…"

"And you."

Sam and Rae both jumped as Dean stepped out of a very deep shadow, cast by the tall trees. Rae actually squeaked in terror, causing both Dean and Sam to look at her with amused looks.

"Sorry, you uh, startled me." Rae strangled out, her heart pounding against her ribs. Without warning Dean giggled, which caused Sam to snicker at him, which in turn made Rae chuckled. A slightly mentally unbalanced look was passed around and the trio broke up into hysterical laughter. Rae was laughing so hard that she had to sit down before she fell. In short order Sam and Dean landed beside her, still laughing and wiping the tears from their eyes.

"Wow, that was random, eh?" Rae gasped out, one hand on her stomach sore from the laughter.

"I think I needed that." Dean muttered, staring at the starry sky with a look of wonder.

"I know you did." Sam stated, his grinning brother was a sight for very sore eyes. "And I sure as Hell did."

"Was I really that bad, Sammy?" He asked, almost off handedly his eyes still glued to the night's sky, not noticing Sam's eyes tearing up at the usage of 'Sammy'.

"Yeah and the fanfic stories were even harder."

"Well…hey how about Vegas now?" A maniacal tone slid into Dean's voice, the joy of the laughter fading, by and by.

"How about a vacation?" Rae suggested, not wanting to see the strange sadness return, her presence nearly forgotten by the brothers.

"Sure, but how?" Sam muttered, kicking at a stone near his foot. "We're on duty 24/7, no matter how we try we always seem to get dragged away."

"But you guys hang out and, well it seems like you do your own thing and-"

"And yet we're always dragged back to the pit." Dean just about growled, the joy completely gone and the previous stillness infecting him again.

"If there's a way we don't know it." Sam said, apologetically to Rae, his voice hollow and fading.

She pushed herself off the muddy path and dusted off her jeans, looking down at them in the dim light.

"Screw that! There's got to be a way for you guys to get a little R&R, especially this summer." She looked down at their pale faces looking back up at her, without hope. "Oh come on guys, I can so figure this out! Just give me a little time, I'll have you kicking back with beers and beach bunnies in no time."

Sam gave Dean a look that to the average observer would mean nothing but between siblings it was a conversation in itself. They traded a few complicated looks and eyebrow raises before nodding and reaching up to apparently seal the deal by shaking Rae's hands. Just as they touched her outstretched digits they faded and were pulled back to fanfic, something Rae had never seen before. It really was a busy summer for poor Sam and Dean.

She shuffled listlessly back to previous perch on the picnic table, crouching to collect her laptop replacements for the night, her book and pen. Her electric lantern had somehow cracked its plastic cover, and now a small piece was missing exposing the little naked light bulb within, making the light too harsh. The damp had gotten into the paper of her book, causing the page to stick together and the pen ink to smear.

"Perfect." Rae muttered, fighting the childish urge to throw a tantrum, toss her book into the lake and have a little scream. "Bloody freaking brilliant."

She closed her eyes and let the sound of the lake, the wind through the trees, and all the other quiet sounds calm her. _Are there stars in Hell?_ Rae wondered opening her eyes to stare up at what had entranced Dean earlier, _probably not._

"He shouldn't be there. Not all summer, not there." Rae shifted as the wind picked up and the lake became choppy. "I won't leave him there. Hell if anyone deserves a vacation those two do." She nodded to herself, the plan forming in her head like one of her story ideas. "I've got work to do."

Rae turned from the lake, now thoroughly chilled by the wind and walked back up to her car. As she did the cliché nature of her last sentence caught up with her and she couldn't help but laugh at how melodramatic she must have sounded.

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A/N2: Pretty, pretty please review my story? With a cherry on top? Reviews make the world go 'round, or in my world they do, so please? I'd do puppy dog eyes but Sam has trademarked them.


	16. Escaping Into Reality

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: This is what I wanted to do all summer as I HATED the idea of Dean suffering in Hell and Sam, suffering without Dean.

Beta'd: by morning sunlight and griffen-girl02 aka Ellen

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

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Escaping Into Reality

Rae lay slumped over her desk, the circles under her eyes standing out in stark contrast against her pale skin, lit up by the feeble computer screen, mere centimetres from her head. A pile of paper shifted with her every breath, and a pool of drool was collecting under her chin.

The door to her bedroom opened a crack and admitted two stealthy shadows, who were familiar enough with Rae's place to not trip over the furniture as they tiptoed in.

"Dude, she's drooling," The shorter of the two shadows murmured, leaning over to stare at Rae's unconscious face, while the other shadow looked through the stack of paper. "And she's still wearing her glasses, they're all crooked," Dean grinned manically as he looked down on her.

"Be quiet Dean, she might hear you," Sam whispered harshly; as he delicately extricated the laptop from Rae's tangled arms, before carefully retracing his steps back out the door.

He sat in Rae's favourite green chair, opening up her most recent emails and word documents. Sam felt like he was prying but the note Rae had sent him was to come and check her research immediately. Going through her handwritten research, which had 'An escape into reality' at the top in Rae's hand Sam frowned as he noticed that there were other contributors on the page, some of which seemed familiar. He flicked on the lamp beside him, trying to get a better look at the strangely familiar scrawl, but was distracted by a loud thump and high pitched yelp that emanated from Rae's bedroom.

Sighing heavily, Sam carefully placed the computer on the table in front of him and trudged back into Rae's room, flicking on the overhead light as he did so. Expecting the worst he collapsed into hysterical giggles at the sight that awaited him.

As he and Dean had learned over the past few years of visiting Rae, she could be an extremely heavy sleeper when she was very tired. A heavy sleeper to the point of being like the dead. Of course there was the flip side of the coin that if she were afraid or threatened she was so perceptive in her sleep that Sam was fairly certain that not even a ghost could sneak up on her. Even though Rae was a heavy sleeper, it didn't mean that she didn't react to things that went on around her, in occasionally violent fashions. Dean must have done something noisy enough make Rae react to him even in her sleep, in, and in Sam's opinion, a hilarious manner.

Rae's desk was beside her bed acting as a night table as well as a study area. When they'd arrived Rae had been slumped over her desk in her chair, maybe half a meter from her oh so comfy bed. Dean must have done something, as he was now pinned under unconscious Rae, who appeared to be using him as a life sized teddy bear.

"A little help here Sammy?" Dean growled, trying not to look stupid as he was being cuddled by Rae, who he considered, and it pained him to even think this, too good a friend to mess around with. "Before I am crushed to death? She's heavier than she looks."

At just that moment Rae decided to wake up and whack him with a pillow, perhaps it was just because she was ready to wake up or maybe she heard him and woke up. Whatever the reason, Dean received a beating with her pillow before she decided to get off him.

"Ass," Rae muttered, not so quietly under her breath as she took Sam's outstretched hand, there was a peace sign drawn on her cheek, and a line streaked when Rae had, most likely, tackled Dean to the bed.

"Yeah, you do kinda have a big one," Dean drawled, smiling as she turned, to give him a murderous glance. He didn't even flinch as Rae picked up her pillow to whack him again, but Sam took it off her, giving Dean the look that meant, 'don't rile her up.' Rae sighed, giving Sam a generalized glare, all the while fighting not to put her hands on her hips, they always made fun of her when she did.

"Um. Rae?" She turned to glare at Dean once more; giving into the urge put her hands on her hips. "Your glasses are a little crooked, I mean they were before but now they're downright sideways on your face."

"Shut up Dean," Rae muttered, fixing her glasses before placing her hands back on her hips. "So you guys are here, did you look over the research Sammy?"

"Yeah, have you by chance developed a split personality, Rae?" Sam ventured, still wondering at the strange handwriting on the page, which he still had clutched in his hand. "'Cause this page here seems a little random."

"What? No, I mean, I've been playing with different styles, and well I've been bored with my own style of handwriting and thought I'd give a shot of trying a new way to write."

Rae shrugged her shoulders nervously, avoiding eye contact and being all around suspicious. A short but heavy silence descended and Rae snatched up the paper from Sam's hand and blankly stared at her previous theories. Heat began in her cheeks and travelled up to her hairline, the tips of her ears and down to where her shirt covered.

"Okay," Dean drawled out, miming insanity signals at Sam, directly in Rae's sightline. After the requisite death glare, Rae settled on the bed, pushing Dean to the side and Sam sat down on the recently vacated chair.

"So I really have to ask where you've been getting your information on the supernatural?" He asked, reaching to look back over the papers again, Rae refused to let go and so Sam had to let her keep them. "Because it wasn't from us and yet this is stuff that I didn't think was easy to find?"

Dean leaned into Rae, trying to look at the papers that were now clutched to her chest in a death grip.

"I am not without my own sources, which I will keep anonymous," Dean and Sam gave her dubious looks, from either side. "I did a journalism class last semester and I picked up a few things I'll have you know."

"Okay, so how is it you know all these things about tulpas and other thought created forms?" Sam asked, Dean lying back on the bed staring at the light blue ceiling. The fact that the bed wasn't on fire and that the bed wasn't broken glass or any other torture he'd been slowly getting used to, was heaven.

"I just did a little research, Wikipedia is an amazing thing. And that's all you're getting out of me." She smiled, folding the papers down and then tucking them inside her jeans hip pocket.

"Did you find a way to get us a vacation or should I start counting down to the less than enjoyable situation of having my flesh peeled from my bones for the third time this week?" Dean muttered, his fists scrunching his eyes until he saw blue stars behind his eyelids.

"It just so happens, with the help from my anonymous source, I have-"

"Wait, this source isn't Meg is it? Because she's still pissed at us for the whole sending her to Hell, killing her father and brother thing, and so she might not be the most trustworthy person to be using as a source," Sam cut in, worried that should the bitch be involved that it could lead to far worse torment for Dean.

"No, geez give me a little credit, I would never deal with that bitch again. The plan is that I write a fic where you guys go on a vacation, basically I set that up with my talent and my source will take care of the rest."

"What's that?" Sam asked, leaning forward and earnest look on his tired face. "Its not magic is it?"

"No, 'cause this is the real world, and I'm not allowed to tell you its part of the deal," Dean looked up from his reclined position, mistrust all over his face. "Its an ironclad, deal-breaking rule. I cannot tell you guys who or what they are going to do because you might object or something."

"You know what? I don't care, Dean stay in Hell for the next three and a half months. We can't just sit back and do nothing!" Sam looked over at Dean who tried to hide the haunted look that lived in them.

"Good to know Sammy," Dean held up an arm and Sam pulled him back into a sitting position. "So, what do we do?"

"Well you guys can chill out while I write the fic. After that my source has set it so you will be pulled into that one no matter what, and once it completes you guys will be on vacation for the next little while. I can't promise that it will last all summer but you'll get a few months at least and anything after that we'll have to wait and see," Rae felt bad not being able to give a definite answer on how long or how well it would work but as had been discussed this was a very unusual and bizarre situation to try and work with.

"Sam?"

"Yeah Dean?"

"I'll race you to the refrigerator," He smirked, bounding off the bed, leaving Sam grinning at Rae who in turned couldn't help but laugh at the antics.

With Dean and Sam camped out on her couch, waiting for the fic to be completed and posted, she felt more nervous than usual, which hadn't been helped by Sam consistently popping his head in the door asking if she needed help. She hadn't lied when she'd told Sam that there was no magic involved as technically this wasn't magic, it was more of an alchemistic change to their situation. She could hear Sam and Dean argue over what movie would be up next, worried that her sources would show up just as Sam looked in on her.

Sending out the email, as she'd been instructed to do when prepared to post she waited, nervously watching the door, her left foot twitching against the desk leg. She was staring so intently at the door she didn't notice the two men at the foot of her bed, until one turned on her stereo to some loud mullet-rock. Rae turned towards the music, jumping to her feet as it came on.

"Holy Hades Ash!" Rae shouted in a whisper, hurrying to lock the door before Sam or Dean's head poked in for a look. John gave Ash a look of disapproval. Over the last few weeks he'd had to work closely with 'Dr. Badass' to help his boys out and when it came to Dean and Sammy, John had a high tolerance for doing whatever was necessary.

John strode over to the stereo, cutting the volume in half. No longer a wave of noise, but loud enough that they would not be heard. All three jumped when the doorknob rattled and a knocking began.

"Rae? Are you okay in there?" Sam's voice came through the thin door, Dean just audible behind him asking what was going on. John gave Rae a sharp nod towards the door while Ash flopped down on her bed, tossing the teddy bear off. John frowned at Ash's boots on the bedspread and pushed them off the bed, causing Ash to roll his eyes and slouch to his feet, making his way towards her stereo.

"No I'm fine Sammy, just need a little music to figure the ending," Rae rolled her eyes as the lame excuse tumbled from her.

"It doesn't have to be Shakespeare Rae, just good enough to get the job done." Dean called, his attention already pulled back to the TV by a very young Jessica Alba on Dark Angel, yeah he watched for the plot, sure.

"Thanks Dean!" Rae growled back, fighting the urge to yank open the door and argue her own merit as a writer, or at least threaten him with a dentist fic.

She turned back to John and Ash, both of whom where gawking around her bedroom like a couple of tourists. Ash was inspecting her CD collection with scepticism, while John seemed more intrigued by the layout her room, beginning to create a mental blueprint for later, should it be needed. Again Rae felt a little stab of guilt over her conflicted feelings towards John; on the one hand she'd seen the worst of him in some of the stories that had been related. On the other he was taking a serious chance helping Rae get the boys a vacation and he had sold his soul for Dean, an act that had scored brownie points with almost everyone in the fandom

"Well Rae, you got your little chapter done? 'Cause I got a date with a pretty nice gal," Ash drawled out, his weird tricked out laptop under his arm held with negligent ease, brilliant technical skills and mind completely at odds with his appearance.

"Yeah Ash, its all done and ready to go, how about you? Are you ready to hack fanfic's server and put in the virus?" She furrowed her brow, more than mildly confused by the technical points of the plan. "How is it that this is going work?"

"As Sam and you have figured out the creation of us all has been done through the focus of so many people's energy. So once you've uploaded your chapter, the reality for Sam and Dean will shift and they'll be enjoying a little vacation," John patiently explained, a little anxious to get his boys out of harm's way. "If we are at all like the thought forms I've faced in the past then this should work, but I've never heard of anything like what's been going on…" He trailed off, his hands scrubbing at his face, a gesture that Sam and Dean unconsciously mimicked.

"That's where the doctor comes in," Ash grinned setting up his laptop beside Rae's little iBook on her desk. The strange flashing lights of Ash's were in stark contrast to the sleek white laptop casing of Rae's beloved and trusty little computer. "After your story is up, I hack in with my kick ass virus, which will fool the metaphysical/technological system that pulls Dean and Sam in and out of 'reality' if you can call this dump that. Anyhoo this should get them a little R&R."

Ash smiled crookedly at John who gave a little shake of his head and grinned right back. All three froze when they heard the creak of a chair as one of the boys shifted weight, but there was no knock on the door or discovery of the plot.

"Shall we get this done?" Rae asked, heart in her throat and nerves about worn through. John looked just as nervous and Ash was grinning his happy go lucky smile, as Rae edged past him to her computer. "Alright I'm uploading it and then it's all yours Ash."

He picked up his laptop and plopped right onto her bed, making the head board bounce against the wall, drawing a darker look from John and a sigh from Rae. After three weeks of working together John was quite ready to be solo again and get on with a nice easy hunt. He found himself smiling, a cold predator smile and Rae was staring at him with a blank expression on her face. She jumped when Ash clapped his hands in triumph.

"Done and done! Woo, damn I can't wait for a vacation!"

"Well Rae, thank you for your help and worry, Ash and I should be going-" He was cut off as Rae surprised him with a hug before turning to Ash and treating him to a warm embrace as well. "Uh, well yeah. Keep an eye on the boys if you can? Its been a long while since they had a vacation and I don't want them losing all they learned on a wild shore leave, if you get my drift."

Rae and John exchanged a smile, as John and Ash walked out the door vanishing in an instant. She was just going to bed, when there was a knock on the door. Confused as to who was in her suite this late, she threw back the quilts to answer it, opening the door she got quite a surprise.

"So do you have any more of those microwave curries in your freezer or should I start looking through leftovers?" Dean asked as he leaned against the doorframe, Sam behind him smiling a big goofy grin.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N2: To anyone who is wondering why Sam and Dean aren't to be told Rae's source (John and Ash) don't worry I will explain that…in the next chapter, mwa ha ha! So just wait and see and all (well most) will be explained.


	17. Jumping the Pond

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: Well I'm back and as I post this I am indeed wearing black, lol. Looks like I'm back and the muses are too, good thing otherwise this would be more pathetic than usual. I have a few more stories in the works will be updating again soon and hope to hear back what people think after my long absence.

Beta'd: by the dear Maz Kazama who filled in the blanks and pointed out my confused sentence structures and general plot holes.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

Jumping Across the Pond

"Keys, keys, keys," Maria 'Maz' Kazama sing-songed to herself, tearing the cushions off her sofa in a desperate search for her flat's keys, "oh wherever did I put those blasted keys?"

"Looking for these?"

A metallic jangling came from behind her, causing her to turn quickly eyes already glued to her watch face, checking to see if she was late yet.

"Damn, damn, damn! I'm going to be late if…I, uh…" her voice trailed off as recognition sank in. Suddenly the sofa seemed to jump up and hit Maria in the backside, jarring her brain against the top of her skull. "You, you, you," Maria shook her head hard to try and restart her tongue, "you're, you're, you're-"

"Yeah, we are, you're not, and yes this is really happening," Dean responded anticipating the usual questions people had with their first encounter with the figmentary figures of Sam and himself. He threw Sam a smirk before dropping with boneless grace onto bumping Maria slightly. Maria jumps up with surprise, bumping into a all too solid Sam, before finding herself in the middle of her living room staring at both Winchester brothers, now seated on her sofa, Sam fiddling with the floral-print slip cover and Dean smirking knowingly at her.

"Easy no Maz, we just came to chat and-" Sam has his hands up, speaking gently as if speaking to a jumper on a ledge.

"Hey, you got anything to eat?" Dean stretched, poised to put his boots on the coaster-strewn coffee table. It is this breach of Maria's house rules that breaks her out of her reverie.

Dean's boots barely kissed the top of the table when Maz walks over to him and swats his feet off the table, straightening the displaced coaster with special care.

"Oh, sorry," Dean yanked his feet out of her way and grinned sheepishly at Sam, who behind Maz was gesturing his displeasure at Dean's behaviour. "So, uh I know it's seven at night here but we just jumped from the states and its lunch time there. Have you had dinner yet?"

Maria just stared at them with no little amount of shock, still working her mind around the fact that they were in fact here, speaking to her, in her flat.

"Of course it's the night that I am supposed to meet up with my sparing partner for a workout," Maria sighed, glancing at her watch to see time really was speeding by, "but how often does one have a chance like this, right?"

"Um, more often for some than you might think actually," Sam, replied thoughtfully, recalling their many visitations upon un-suspecting fans. "I mean, that is to say, we've run into a few people like this as Rae may have mentioned to you."

"Yeah she mentioned it but I just thought she was insane," Maria was interrupted by the phone ringing, which Dean answered.

"Hello? Hello? Maria? No, there's no Maria here. Oh wait, do you mean Maz?" Dean held his hand over the phone, "Is your name really Maria?"

"Yes, hand it over," she grabbed the phone from Dean "hello?"

"Who was that?" Maria rolled her eyes as her mother's voice took on the nosey tone she loathed so much. "Was it John? Is Steve over there? Aren't you supposed to be sparring right now anyway?"

"Yes mom, but I'm feeling a bit under the weather so I'm going to skip tonight and just stay in," Maria knew enough not to try and fake sounding ill to her mother as she'd be seen through in a second.

"Did you want me to bring some soup over? Do you have a fever? It's not the flu is it? Perhaps you should go to the hospital?" Maria fought the urge to grind her teeth as her mother began mother-henning her.

"No Mom, I'm fine. I don't have a fever, I don't have the flu, I'm just a little rundown and could use a night off."

"Are you sure you don't want me to bring over some soup? It won't take terribly long," her mother's voice took on a wheedling tone.

"No Mum, honestly I'm fine, really," Maria turned as Dean began to rifle through her fridge clanging jars together and sorting through to try and discover something edible. "Mum, I'm just going to go and lie down, thanks for calling. Goodnight."

Maria thankfully hang up the phone, before quickly dialling her sparring partner Atif, getting the voicemail she quickly left a message informing him that she wasn't going to make it in. Turning back to Sam she was met by an up close and personal space invasion by Dean who had raided her takeout menus off the fridge, holding them up with sincere hope in his eyes.

"Can we PLEASE order some food? I don't want to sound like a bad imaginary houseguest but there's next to nothing in your fridge and I am starving!" Dean held up the plethora of pamphlets, waving them back and forth tantalizingly.

"I do so have food in my fridge," Maria replied trying to mask her indignation, she walked over to the fridge, Sam and Dean trailing behind her. Sam opened up the old fridge and found it was not empty, as Dean had claimed rather it was empty of any source of junk food.

"There is too food, its just healthy stuff, sprouts, tofu, oh you see that green tree-like vegetable Dean? That's called broccoli, its good for you," Sam grinned as Dean hit him over the head with the pamphlets.

"Just because its good for you doesn't mean it tastes good," Dean groused sullenly.

"Hey weren't you the one who told me that each and every vegetables had a grain of sugar inside?" Sam asked gently elbowing Dean in the ribs.

"That was just because of that Tommy kid in your fifth grade class. He told you that veggies were created by aliens to control human kind and you were stupid enough to believe it," Dean shot back. "You should have seen him, he runs back from school one day and starts emptying out the fridge of every since green veggie we have in the hotel room, clears the cupboards of all the canned peas and beans and everything else that looks remotely green," Sam had his hands over his eyes attempting to erase the event of gullibility from his memory. "He even tossed the fake potted plants that were in the hotel room."

"Oh Sammy, tell me you didn't believe that? Really?" Maria couldn't help but laugh at the hound-dog expression on Sam's face.

"Not only did he believe it he tried to convince me of it, spent the entire night with a flashlight and a baseball bat at the ready. It didn't help that there were odd deaths in the town, Dad was hunting down something and so the rumour mill was running. Poor lil'Sammy here didn't know about the family business yet, and it was right around the time X-Files was starting so aliens were on TV a lot. The geek here watched X-Files religiously."

"I'll have you know that Tommy had a very convincing argument and you weren't that convincing when you told m there weren't any aliens, its like you wanted me to be freaked out," Sam growled back, obviously irritated at Dean's gleeful recollection. Fortunately Maria's mobile rang and she got to excuse herself from what was amping up to be an embarrassing story contest.

"Hello?" Maria muttered into the phone, Dean following her over, displaying takeout menus with quiet desperation. "Hey Atif, yeah I'm not really feeling well, might be coming down with something and as I don't think you want me to share it with you I'm going to stay in tonight. Yeah, I think I'll be okay for later, maybe tomorrow, yeah, yeah see you later, bye."

Maria no sooner hung up the phone than Dean collapsed to the floor in front of her. She dropped to her knees to check to see if he was conscious and was joined by Sam who was desperately feeling Dean's neck checking for a pulse.

"Geez that last hurt!Dean fic must have taken more out of him than I thought, he's-" Sam stopped as Dean's eyes fluttered open and he grasped Sam's shirt collar.

"Food, need food," Dean gasped before lapsing back into his fake-swoon, running it with a smirk.

"Jerk," Sam muttered, dropping Dean's head back onto the pale blue linoleum, "you really are a jerk sometimes. You scared me to death."

"Bitch," the elder Winchester tossed back, jumping back to his feet, grinning broadly at his tasteless joke, "besides I really am starving so can we either order something or make a run to some grocery store?"

Sam offered Maz a hand up and squelched a smile as she took the time to brush off her track pants before accepting his outstretched hand.

"Thank you, well should we feed the beast? Or leave him to suffer?" She arched her eyebrow with fake evil malice.

"I don't know…" Sam began as Dean waved the take out menus again Maria went over and began to pick through them, attempting to find something that would appeal to all three, healthy, tasty, fast, and preferably cheap.

"How about Indian?"

"Wait like India? Or the people from who the North Americans' stole all that land from?" Dean asked, Sam looking at him blankly, "what? I really wanna know, it could happen."

"Uh, the people from India kind. There's this great place close to here Royal Thawa, they have this great meal deal, lots of food and great service. Shall I?" Garnering nods all around Maria called in a 'set me for one'. "Should just be a half an hour or so."

"Are you sure a dinner for one will be enough?" Dean asked, rummaging in the fridge for a beer.

"I order there all the time and a set for one is enough to last me a couple of days, really trust me on this there will be a ton of food. Oh did you want something to drink?" Maria went to the freezer and pulled out a good bottle of vodka.

"Bingo!" Dean dropped the takeout menus on the counter and began searching the cupboards for glasses. "By chance you got any whiskey?"

"Um, the cupboard above the fridge, I got some for Christmas from a buddy of mine, he says it's the good stuff but I haven't tried it yet."

"No time like the present then," he replied, glasses clinking together as he placed them on the countertop. Maria noticed that Sam was being very quiet, standing in the corner out of the way. "Do you have any coolers for the Sasquatch over there? As I'm sure you know he's not a drinker at all," Dean smirked at Sam who rolled his eyes at Dean.

"Got any decent beers?" Sam asked skulking towards the fridge looking to check for a beer, all he found was Innis&Gunn and Guiness neither of which was remotely familiar at all. "Can you recommend either of these two?"

"Go with the Guiness , the Innis&Gunn is my flatmate's so not up for grabs," Maria offered over her shoulder, as she mixed herself a Vodka, lime and lemonade and sat down at the broken in kitchen table, putting her bare feet up on the chair beside her. Dean moseyed over and sprawled into the chair opposite with Sam bringing up the rear, beer in hand.

"So, what should we do to kill time before food gets here?" Sam asked, fiddling with the beer's label. "Got any cards? Poker?"

"Strip poker?" Dean leered appreciatively at Maz who paused with the glass to her lips before she burst out laughing. "What? I thought all people liked poker?"

"Oh that's too much sorry, I just, sorry," Maria had to brace herself against the table as she continued to laugh at Dean's mock-hurt expression, he found no sympathy from Sam who was also fighting hysterical giggles at Dean's expense.

***DING DONG***

"Saved by the bell eh Dean?" Sam chuckled as Maz padded towards the doors wallet in hand and smirk pasted on her face.

"Shut up Sam, just shut up."

"Her name is Maria by the way Dean, Maz is just her screen name," Sam's taunt followed Dean as he wandered out of the kitchen to help Maz with the delievered food.


	18. Where There's Smoke Alarms There's

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

Beta'd: Maz and Ellen, you both gave me a lot of help and encouragement you're awesome!

Special dedication: To all those who must be careful to avoid spoilers due to geography, timing or in Ellen's case lack of cable, good luck staying un-spoiled.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

**Warning: This contains **

**Spoilers for Season **

**Five Episode Ten: **

**Abandon All Hope. **

**Do Not If You Do Not **

**Want To Be Spoiled**

18 Where There's Smoke Alarms There's Spoilers

"Damn it."

*beep*

"Damn it."

*beep*

"Damn –" Ellen paused glaring at the infernal device, its red blinking eye mocking her cruelly.

*beep*

"IT!" She leapt to her feet, the bed jostling with the sudden movement.

*beep*

"That's it!" Ellen dropped to the floor and began collecting her textbooks before scribbling on her notepad that she would be back before eleven.

*beep*

"Just gotta have the last word, don't you?" Ellen growled at the white plastic entombed red-eyed demon.

*beep*

Admirably resisting the urge to slam the door on the inanimate object, Ellen gently closed it before stomping off to the student run coffee shop, the Daily Grind. Hopefully she could get some studying done amid the peace and quiet of clinking dishware and murmured conversation.

*beep*

"Argh!" Sam grunted as Dean hopped onto his left foot, "what the hell man?" He shoved Dean away and onto Ellen's bed. Dean landed on his back, wrinkling the light blue comforter with the effort to keep his boots off it.

*beep*

Both brothers craned their necks upward at the much-cursed smoke alarm.

"Sorry Sammy," Dean smirked at his brother from his prone position on the bed, "that damned-"

*beep*

"Thing startled me," he finished lamely already annoyed with the red-eyed blinking smoke detector.

*beep*

"Ellen went to the Daily Grind as the smoke alarm was driving her crazy," Sam read off the note left on the desk.

*beep*

"I don't blame her," Dean muttered, engaged in a one-sided staring contest with the mocking device.

*beep*

"I gotta do Sammy, I gotta take out the battery," Dean growled as the red-eye watched them. He dragged Ellen's desk chair over and mounted it coming eye-to-eye with the-

*beep*

"I don't think that's a good idea Dean. In the apartment Jess and I were in had one of those and it was wired into the electrical system and-"

*beep*

*beep*

*beep*

*beep*

*beep*

"Dean?"

*beep*

"Yeah Sammy?"

*beep*

"You pulled the-" *beep* "battery didn't you?"

*beep*

"Maybe."

*beep*

"I tried to-" *beep* "warn-"

"Shut up-" *beep* "Sam."

Ellen and a woman wearing a maintenance uniform rushed in, hands clamping over their ears as the beeps turned into a high pitched shriek.

"I told you I'd get to it," bellowed the maintenance woman over the continuous shrieking.

"It wasn't me, I just got home!" Ellen protested, glaring at Sam and Dean, "you met me on the stairs outside, remember?"

The maintenance woman grabbed the chair from where Dean had deftly replaced it un-noticed during the cacophony of noise.

Sam joined Ellen in glaring at Dean as the shrieking continued to burrow through is temples. All Dean could do was shrug apologetically at them, as he was unable to take his hands away from his ears.

Finally after a long minute of tinkering and too quiet cursing about impatient students the horrible noise ended, though a ghost of it remained humming against their eardrums.

"There," she stepped down wiping her dusty hands on her coveralls. "Odd, the battery came undone but the face hadn't been opened at all. Still dusty in fact, and no marks of screwdrivers either," she looked at Ellen mildly confused. "Strange that," her eyes lingered on the space that Dean and Sam occupied, almost perceiving them.

"Well, um, thank you so much," Ellen began, hurrying her out, politely but firmly. Dean heard her making some nonsensical explanation as to how multiple earthquakes could of have loosened the battery enough to have it disconnect and set off the alarm. It was the gentle stomping back up the stairs that warned the Winchesters she was returning.

"Did she buy the earthquake theory?" Sam asked as Ellen came back through the door, gratefully falling back onto her bed.

"Who did it?" Ellen asked eyes closed, fatigue flowing from her every line.

"Well it turned out for the best right?" Dean asked hopefully, edging towards the door, only to be blocked by Sammy, arms crossed unmovable.

"It was Dean wasn't it?" Ellen asked Sam, who nodded solemnly unseen by Ellen who was still relaxed on the bed, her eyes tightly shut.

"I'm just saying that the beep is gone right?" Dean offered, eyes searching around the room looking for an escape.

"Dean just admit it was you," she demanded, sitting up on the bed looking meaningfully at Sam. Dean turned to see what Ellen was looking at when a pillow struck him in the back of the head.

"Hey!" As he turned to face Ellen, another pillow hit him, sending him stumbling towards the bed, once more within reach of another pillow attack. Before he knew it Dean was on the bed being pummeled by pillows, no possible escape or mercy. Finally they stopped their attack, but only after their arms tired. Dean found himself buried under all the pillows Ellen own as well as her few of her stuffed animals.

"Truce." Ellen offered, Sam nodding enthusiastically as he saw Dean's hand reaching for a pillow in retaliation.

"Fine, truce," Dean sighed dropping the pillow and laying back on the heap of pillows.

"You guys want anything to eat?" Ellen climbed over the pile that Dean had been trapped under towards her milk crate that held her snacks beside the mini-fridge of beverages. "I've got some white cheddar popcorn, uh, some kettle chips, some old valentine's chocolates and a couple health drinks." Ellen gave Sam a knowing look.

"What kind of kettle chips?" Dean asked yawning into a fuzzy bear that lay on his shoulder.

"Um, the yellow bagged ones?" she offered, returning a yawn of her own as she continued her determined search.

"New York Cheddar," Sam corrected absent-mindedly as he stared at Ellen's desk and its new inhabitant, a red beta fish in a classic fish bowl, sparkly castle included. "What's this guy's name?"

"Doesn't have one yet," Ellen replied digging through the milk crate for the Hersey Hugs she thought had been in there earlier. "I've been considering a few different ones, any suggestions guys? He and I are both open to ideas?"

"Crowley?"

"Who?" Ellen asked, still intent on trying to find the Hugs that had been there.

"How about Meg? With that bitch being Lucifer's new lap dog I could use a little helpless creature at my mercy named Meg," Sam suggested a mocking smile curling his lips.

"What? She's what?" Ellen paused in her search for the chocolate goodies, a sinking feeling developing in her stomach.

"He's red so why not Lucifer?" Dean offered his hands twitching at the memory of his failure with the devil. "At least if we shot this little guy in the face he'd die, unlike that bastard angel."

"Guys! I can't believe you just did that!"

"Did what?" Dean asked, distracted from throttling the teddy bear on his shoulder.

"You guys just spoiled me, I haven't seen that yet!" Ellen groaned, debating between cursing them out or just kicking them out.

"At least I didn't mention how Jo and Ellen are dea-" Dean attempted before Sam's hand clamped over his mouth to stop further spoiling of Ellen.

"I'm so sorry Ellen, we didn't realize…" Sam began but seeing the expression on Ellen's face, a mixture of disillusionment and grief he grabbed Dean and they disappeared, literally. The last thinking she heard as they faded out was, "sorry, its too late but sorry."

Ellen clenched her fists one more time before settling down to her schoolwork, desperately trying to forget the spoilers she had just been exposed to.

It wasn't until the day her burnt DVD appeared did she finally find the DVD that had been left in the player as an apology. The black sharpie marker title was in Sam's readable scrawl it read:

Sorry to have ruined the surprise hopefully

this will make you smile and yes we did call

in a favor or two for this – Sammy and Dean

"Huh?" Ellen paused to stare disbelievingly at the disc innocently sitting in her DVD player, what they might mean by their apology note. "Well, only one way to find out what's on it," she muttered pushing the DVD in with a nervous hand, it began to play automatically. She settled back on her bed, serendipitously removing her shoes.

A hand drawn title card read:

A Sammy/Dean Production

Supernatural:

S05E10: Abandon All Hope

Starring: Sammy and Dean

With Special Guest Stars:

Castiel, Pamela & Crowley

The scene opened in Ellen's stairway, darkened and attempting gloomy, though the cheery sky blue belied it. Castiel walked up the stairs, staring directly into the camera, cell phone in his hand and a nervous look on his face. He stopped at the far end of the landing still within three feet of Dean and whom Ellen had to assume was Crowley. Dean was dressed as a different character as he was wearing a suit with a pillow stuffed down the front to look fat, with a bald cap. To complete the illusion he wore a nametag that stated he was an 'Evil corrupt banker'.

"So you want a bailout for your gluttonous ways that dragged your bank into debt then?" Crowley purred, leaning in close to Dean who glared at him stepping backwards.

"I uh, I thought I was going to deal with the hot chick who I spoke to before?" Dean stammered, a nervous sweat forming on his forehead. "She said the deal would be, uh, sealed with a kiss?"

"And so it shall be," Crowley replied, smirking at Dean's discomfort, stepping closer forcing Dean back against the wall. "What's wrong with you? Are you going to let over forty years of homophobia keep you from a sweet juicy bailout?"

"Uh," Dean's eyes looked desperately at the camera, "Sam I thought we were going to gloss over this part?" His hands came up pushing Crowley and his puckering lips backwards, and away from his face.

"Dean, you messed up this episode for Ellen so suck it up," came Sam's disembodied voice from behind the camera. "And you lost the coin toss so suck it up."

"Best two out of three?" Dean pleaded with the camera, shoulders against the wall with Crowley moving in for the kiss, "seriously man I don't want to do-"

He was abruptly cut off as his lips were sealed by Crowley's, his arms however waved wildly and ferociously in unspoken denial of what was going on. The camera whipped over to Castiel, so fast that Ellen felt a little ill as the fast change, similar to her feelings during the Blair Witch movie.

Castiel froze like a bunny-rabbit in the headlights of an oncoming 18-wheeler as the camera settled on him, eyes staring directly into the lens, fear covering the angel uncharacteristically.

"Cas, call Dean," Sam whispered, the camera jiggling with some unknown action he was portraying to the cowering angel. "Call him and report in."

Castiel nodded quickly, overacting the simple actions and waiting for the ringing to actually begin. Dean's cell phone began to ring off camera and Dean's muted cursing, as he tried to retrieve his phone, filled the audio track.

"Dean, please answer your phone," Castiel whispered to unseen Dean off camera, "Sam seems to want me to speak to you on the phone, even though you are right there."

The video progressed with all the smoothness and professionalism of a kindergarten staged play, Ellen laughing manically throughout it. Crowley had been given all the demonic acting parts, even Meg whom he pulled off with surprising smoothness and ability, even when Meg (Crowley) and Lucifer (Crowley) had a discussion in front of Castiel. When it came to Jo(Pamela) and Ellen (Castiel) Harvelle's death scene Ellen actually fell from the end of bed, landing hard on her tailbone, laughing too hard to care.

Castiel had an onion held under his eyes to try and make him to cry, but the expression of confusion on his face ruined it. Ellen had wonder if he was trying for sad or hungry? Pamela did a heart-rending job at portraying Jo's death scene and so Castiel's stiff performance stood out even further. Tears pricked at her eyes as the scene ended with hand drawn cards describing the destruction of the building and obliteration of Jo and Ellen Harvelle cut to black.

The video wrapped up and Ellen stared blankly at the television, the burnt DVD with the proper episode completely forgotten. She sucked in breath to comment on the performances to the empty air around her but found that she had no words to even begin to describe what she had been subjected to. Shaking her head gently, Ellen found that the episode had gone beyond the usual forty-two minutes (without the commercials) by an hour or so, she could only guess that not everything she'd seen had been in the official episode and of course Castiel had been a bit slow in delivering his lines.

"Dean. Sam. Nice job, we're even," Ellen offered to the empty air, "feel free to drop by anytime."

No sooner were those words out of her mouth than there came a familiar knock on the doorframe, in which they stood.

"Please be honest," Dean asked with a glint in his eyes, "I'm a better actor than that Jensen guy right?"

A/N: This chapter was a conglomeration of a bunch of ideas from conversations with Ellen and a few near spoilings as well. Just thought it would be fun to see what would happen if the Winchesters did spoil someone and how they might take it, so obviously had to be a big one. Also anyone wondering why I used Crowley and Pamela instead of the Harvelles, their deaths are kinda hard to take and it was funnier.


	19. The Babysitter

Okay, here is the usual disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, nor any character created by the show, nor some of the ones in this story 'cause I stole them from almost 'real' life (my friends). Nor am I making any money from this unless my friends try and bribe me not to put it up, but I will anyway, so alas no money.

A/N: Well it's been a while since anyone got banged around in my fics so here's one for you blood thirsty fans. Oh and my 5 month old 'nephew' (my BEST friend's son) is mentioned, and for the record he is just as cute and sweet as I describe I swear on all my Supernatural DVDs.

Beta'd: nobody I apologize for the mistakes you'll suffer through but I did my best, I just didn't want to bug anyone I knew with final exams so close and all the essays due right about now.

Good writing

Serenity for all

Sincerely Rae Artemis

The Babysitter

"Shit, shit, shit!" Rae clawed through the diaper bag Dara had left when Isaac had been dropped off at 'Auntie' Rae's for the evening. Everett and Dara were Isaac's parents and good friends of Rae so when she had heard they needed a night out and had offered her services as a babysitter. Of course Rae had never dealt with Isaac on her own before, she'd always had Dara or Ev in the background saving her when the little gaffer had started to fuss or in this case screech like a banshee.

"Easy kid, easy. Auntie Rae is doing her best," Rae muttered as she finally found the soother, popping it into the screaming maw. "Okay, we're halfway there, now its time for the bottle my lad."

Rae gently placed the 5 month old into his bouncy chair, in front of the Backyardians DVD Dara had given her as a saving grace and raced to the kitchen to fill up the bottle with formula. She kept her ear cocked for sounds from Isaac but all she heard was happy gurgling and the singing of the Backyardians about mermaids or possibly samurais. Rae was just shaking up the powdered formula with the water when she heard the telltale screeching of Isaac's cry.

"Shit!" Rae bounded out of the kitchen and into the living room to find a very bloodied Dean Winchester wavering over Isaac, holding his ribs and attempting to get Isaac to take his soother.

"C'mon kid, take the damn thing," Dean growled as his ribs shifted as he bent to over the five month old, who stared at him with wide cobalt eyes.

"Hey!" Rae snarled at Dean, who jerked back up in fear, jarring his cuts and bruises. "Watch the language in front of the kid!"

She stalked over to Isaac and plucked him out of his bouncy chair jabbing the bottle into his mouth. Rae walked to the couch and fed him the bottle as he continued to watch the two bloodied men stand, gently swaying as they were almost too tired to stay upright.

"So Rae," Sam staggered towards her, thumping loudly onto the couch beside her. "Do you, uh have something to tell us?" He winced, as he had to rearrange his position on the couch, his right knee still sore from the various beats he'd received earlier.

"I'll trade you. This story for your recent adventures," Rae carefully pulled the bottle from Isaac's lips placing the soother in with the same concentration Indiana Jones used when switching the golden idol at the beginning of 'Lost Ark'. She'd learned the hard way that unless the soother was in his jaws the little lad could create a sound that would shatter eardrums.

Dean fell into Rae's favourite green chair too tired to worry about getting blood on it or be concerned by the glare he received from Rae when he began to raise his boot, the idea of putting his feet up on her steamer truck that was the coffee table briefly flirting with him. Rae began to burp Isaac; the little guy stared balefully at Dean who returned the stare with a dazed look due to a recent concussion.

"He looks familiar," Dean, slurred gazing at the baby tilting to the right, his cheek impacting softly with the arm.

"What's up with him? Bar fight?" Rae jiggled Isaac on her knee, attempting to get the kid to burp, but all he did was launch his soother at Dean's forehead and chew his tiny fist.

"We had a rough day fic-wise," Sam answered slowly rotating his neck and shoulder blades. "Car accidents, bar fights, demonic possessions, another fan's try at All Hell Breaks Loose," he twisted his lower back with the remembrance of the knife in it. "Basically we had a really hard day and poor Castiel was with us until about five minutes ago then he just disappeared. I don't think he even knew where he was going."

"That doesn't sound good," Rae replied somewhat absent-mindedly, worried at Isaac's apparent lack of burp. "So you guys had a hard day, but is there any lasting damage? Need any medical care?"

"Well the broken limbs have healed, mostly thanks to Castiel but Dean's ribs are still cracked," Sam gingerly leaned forward, careful of his own bruised ribs. "Castiel was yanked out of here just as he went to work on Dean's ribs, so they're only half-healed and still moving around a little."

"Wait I thought he healed instantaneously," Rae's eyes because to really take in the state of the brothers. "Why wouldn't he fix you both completely, why leave you so pained?"

"Cas had his ass kicked too," Dean hissed from the chair, pain threading through is voice as he struggled to get up out of his semi-slouched position. "Even had his tied cut off," Dean giggled giddily. "He was so shocked."

Sam involuntarily smiled at the remembrance of Castiel's face when he realized his disheveled appearance. He caught Rae's worried look, directed at him this time, instead of Dean and shrugged her off.

"Here," Rae unceremoniously pushed Isaac on Sam, who awkwardly accepted the squirming body, giving Rae's retreating back a fearful look. Sam didn't have a lot of experience with children, especially not infants, well not real ones. There were a few months last year where the fic writers were on a kid!Dean kick and he'd had his share of babysitting then but for the most part Dean had been de-aged to a toddler not a five month old. Isaac began to wrinkle his brows, cobalt eyes beginning to water as he prepared to fuss.

"Uh, Rae? He's uh," Sam stared at Isaac cherubic cheeks, which were darkening to red as the infant began to fuss, little fists twisting into his eyes. "Rae! Rae I need some help in her!"

The soother shot forth from Isaac's jaws bounding off Sam's forehead, his eyes closing at the danger, so he did not see the hand catch it and deftly remove the baby from him in one practiced move.

"Shhh, shhhh little one it is okay," the normally gruff voice softened as he placed Isaac on his chest, to burp the child. "Hey that's better isn't it buddy?"

Isaac began to coo sweetly, sensing the paternal energy of the one currently holding him. Two pairs of cobalt blue eyes exchanged conspiratorial glances and Isaac snuggled into the torn and ripped trench coat.

"CAS!" Sam jumped off the couch to embrace the angel but was shot down by Castiel's mystified look and finger to the lips, shushing him. "Oh, sorry Cas," he hissed, tip toeing around the angel, to allow the slightly swaying protector of the lord's will to sit on the couch. "What happened? Where did you get dragged to?"

"Well to be honest I'm not sure," Sam was vaguely distracted by the fact Castiel was making faces at Isaac who squealed in delight, balanced on Cas's knee watching intently. "There was a clown who called himself Pennywise, he attacked me but I was able to break free of the fiction writer's world and rejoin you here," Castiel looked around confused. "Where is here?"

"My place, and welcome to it Castiel," Rae replied as she entered the room, medical supplies, clean cotton face clothes and tensor bandages. "Or may I call you 'Cas'?"

"The Winchesters seem quite fond of that name as so as a friend of theirs you do so as well," he tersely answered, continuing to make funny faces at the gurgling Isaac.

"Uh, thanks, I think. I'm Rae and the little one you've got there is Isaac, my uh, for lack of a better description 'nephew'," she smiled at the tableau of Cas and Isaac. "Sam could you please either wake your brother or at least strip his shirt so I can start bandaging his ribs?" Rae very carefully began to place her armload onto the trunk she used as a coffee table before ducking out to get her bowl of hot water.

When she returned, she found a still unconscious Dean stripped to the waist and Sam rifling through her rather expansive medical kit. After having entertained Sam and Dean after many a bad fic days she'd finally broken down and asked her father, a paramedic, for a well stocked and wide ranging medical kit. Sam had also stripped to the waist and was tending to his massive web of scratches and cuts, which made him appear to be like Frankenstein's monster more than his normal self.

"Geez! What did you do? Get in a fight with a weed whacker?" Rae gasped, having given up trying to count the lacerations after she'd reached over thirty on his chest alone.

"You'd think but no," Sam's grin turned to a grimace of pain as he dabbed anti-bacterial lotion on a particularly nasty looking gash that ran from his left pectoral to his abdomen. "This is just a few dozen hunts catching up with me, and maybe a torture session or five," a bitter laugh followed the statement, nipping at its heels.

Rae had opened her mouth to make some snarky comment but it died on her lips when the laugh had assaulted her ears with is dissonant tone. Swallowing thickly she dipped a soft clothe in water and began to wipe off the caked on blood that covered Dean's torso, her jaw muscles clenching with her emotions.

Dean was completely out of it, not flinching or reacting to the solution of disinfectant and warm water she spread over his bloodied wounds. Rae did flinch and squirm as she tried to compartmentalize her feelings of disgust at the blood and her compassion for Dean, Sam and Castiel's most violent day.

Sam's sudden outburst of laughter shocked her out of her silent work, and she looked over to see Sam flat on his back, pointing at Castiel and Isaac. Cas was wiping his forehead and Isaac was giggling and gurgling at him, possibly smirking even.

"What? What did I miss?"

"Young Isaac here decided he no longer care for his pacifier and spat it out," Cas explained, fishing the pacifier out of his lap to reinsert it into Isaacs smiling jaws. "It deflected off my face into his hands, from which he launched again at my forehead, which it again bounced off of before falling into my lap."

The deadpan with which the ludicrous sentence was delivered cracked Rae up more than the actual events. Rae and Sam were howling with laughter, as both Isaac and Castiel looked on with identical looks of confusion on their faces.

"Where the hell is my shirt? And what are you guys laughing at?" Dean groaned as he leaned forward to pluck Rae's wet clothe out of her helpless hands and finish wiping away the blood.

"I am not sure, I believe they found something that Isaac and I did to be humourous but I'm afraid I do not know what," Cas offered as Rae and Sam both continued to laugh helplessly on the carpet.

"Geez I take a nap and you guys start acting like you've got the head injuries," Dean growled, beginning to wrap a tensor bandage around his waist to try and stabilize his still floating ribs.

"Damn it I only agreed to babysit for one tonight, not four babies," Rae gasped still giggling at Cas and Isaac's genuine confusion. "How about I put on a movie other than Backyardians and pop some popcorn? Anyone want a beer?"


End file.
